OLD AGE AND LIFE QUALITY

In the Romanian society, which is continually getting older, the social services for the elderly are in deficit. The social issues related to retirement and social isolation, as well as the economic ones, are amplified by the moral problems connected to the failure as far as their lawful rights are concerned. Despite its status of member of the E.U., Romania cannot be compared to the developed countries that possess a proper system of social protection. The explanation resides in the huge difference of development influencing the elderly. Our paper aims to analyze the evolution and the dimensions of the demographic aging phenomenon in Romania, using data offered by the census, by the National Retirement Office and by rich bibliographic sources. These sources of information will be completed by an undergoing survey focused on the living conditions of the elderly, because the quality of living in general is reflected more and more accurately by the quality of living of this segment of the population. The partial results of our analysis highlight the lack of measures concerning the public health, the disparities between the rural and the urban environment, the precarious economic situation, the poverty and the social exclusion. All these are just several aspects that reflect the huge vulnerability of the seniors. The elderly are thrown to the periphery of the society living in poverty and sufferance because of the improper social policies and because the legislation lacks the norms that would allow their application.