The need to review the social health policy requirements of the elderly since the 1980s

Document Type : .

Authors

1 PhD candidate in social wlfare Allameh Tabataba'i University,Tehran.Iran.

2 Professor of the Department of Cooperation and Social Welfare of Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran,Iran.

3 Assistant Professor of Sociology at Allameh Tabataba'i University,Tehran.Iran.

Abstract

Considering the increasing number of elderly people in the country, it is crucial to pay attention to their social needs for social health. It is the responsibility of the government to implement appropriate policies to ensure the social health of the elderly and prevent social harm. The requirements for the social health of the elderly were analyzed using qualitative analysis of the concepts contained in documents, and the existing policies were analyzed according to Parsons' theory.
A significant gap exists between the text of the laws and the policies aimed at promoting the social health of the elderly. The policies implemented by governments are often weak and fail to prioritize the needs of today's elderly and their social health. To improve the organization of the social health of the elderly, efficient and up-to-date laws are needed, along with collectivist policies that prioritize the needs of the target group, and the development of government activities and institutions. NGOs should also be involved in this process. Adequate coverage of social health indicators is essential for effective implementation of policies.
 
Keywords: Social health, elderly, requirements, policy, eighties
 
 
 
 
Introduction
 
 Considering the ever-increasing growth of the elderly population in the country, it is necessary to pay attention to the social needs of the elderly, including social health, and adopt optimal and efficient policies in this field.  One of the challenges of the elderly population is to provide appropriate welfare for the elderly group so that societies can take steps in line with human rights and sustainable development. Facing this situation requires policy-making and then planning in different sectors of society including support, welfare, health, and social services. These policies are affected by the direction of governments. One of the duties of governments is to adopt appropriate policies to ensure the social health of the elderly to prevent social harm caused by its deficiency. With this theme, the necessity of revising the social policy requirements for elderly health is the main goal of the article.
 
Materials and methods
 
 The examination of the requirements of the social policy of the health of the elderly has been carried out using the qualitative analysis method and with an inductive-comparative approach. The concepts contained in the upstream documents of the Islamic Republic of Iran have been used. The units of analysis include official and written texts and documents published by the government in the field of the elderly, as well as texts, documents, and laws for the protection of the elderly. In the theoretical framework of Parsons, the existing policies were analyzed. The tool for collecting the information needed for the research is the use of a checklist that contains all the social health concepts related to the keywords: elderly, social health (social health indicators), and multiple concepts of social health levels (taken from the background of the research).
 
Discussion
 
The relationship between the social health of the elderly and the social welfare of the elderly is meaningful and deep and depends on many factors such as social security, political, cultural, and economic conditions of the society and society, and the cultural support and public policies of the government are based on this. resources and subsequently affects the social health of the elderly. The results showed that the basic gap in the text of laws and regulations can be seen in social health policies and these government-oriented, economy-oriented, and aging policies have been adopted without prioritizing the needs of today's elderly. Considering the social dimensions of health in matters related to the organization of the social health of the elderly, there is a need for efficient and up-to-date laws, modeling away from tasteful policies, and collectivist policies and with prioritization based on the needs of the elderly. It seems that to get rid of numerous and scattered regulations, it is necessary to move towards a comprehensive law for the protection of the elderly. The social health of the elderly is considered as a very important and influential factor in the quality of life of the elderly.
 
Result:
 
If the policies are formulated well, the ground will be provided for the principled implementation of social policies and subsequently the solidarity of the family and society, intergenerational interaction, and the opportunity for productivity. Investment is necessary to create the necessary infrastructure to strengthen social health, and it is necessary that the amount of government spending in the elderly sector is accompanied by looking at the approach of empowering the elderly in economic and social fields and taking into account the available resources and the context of the participation of the elderly to return to society. It should be in line with the action. Paying attention to intergenerational approaches, involving other organizations and non-governmental organizations in the affairs of the elderly,‌ relying on solutions to maintain harmony and continuity between generations, institutionalizing the culture of aging in society, creating cohesion and solidarity between young people and the elderly to create optimal interaction. The elderly are the main model in line with honoring  and the family-oriented and collectivist values that always exist in Iranian society, and it should be paid more attention to in policy-making.
 

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Main Subjects


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