According to GUS data, 9 million Poles are 60+. This means that we have seniors for almost 1/4 of the total population. It's a lot, but are they properly cared for? And we are not talking about the issue of family care or support for relatives, but about care from the municipal infrastructure.
It is estimated that if nothing changes, in 2050 the number of people aged 60+ will amount to 13.7 million, i.e. over 40% of the society. So what should cities friendly to people aged 60+ look like? We get an answer to this question in a report prepared by ikalkulator.pl.
The report includes, among others categories such as quality of life, activation of seniors, activities of the authorities for seniors and costs of living. How do cities approach these issues? Do they care for their seniors?
According to ZUS data, in March 2022 the average pension was PLN 1,885 net, and the most frequently paid benefit was approximately PLN 1,440 net. Cities should subsidize various research, with Krakow and Katowice being the leaders in this field, as well as Rzeszów and Poznań - these cities finance the most research for seniors. At the end of the stake were Gorzów Wielkopolski and Olsztyn, which currently do not finance this form of aid.
GUS data on the number of crimes against life and he alth identified by the Police per 1,000 inhabitants (including beatings, murders, risk of losing life or serious damage to he alth) for 2022 in 18 largest cities indicate that in total, there were 498,624 such crimes.
According to the data from the Central Statistical Office, the inhabitants of Bydgoszcz (1st place in the safety ranking - 0.29 per thousand inhabitants), Olsztyn (2nd place - 0.35) and Kraków (3rd place - 0, 38). In turn, the most crimes against he alth and life identified by the Police are in Katowice (1.01). It is not much better in Gorzów Wielkopolski (0.83), Zielona Góra (0.76) and Białystok (0.74).
The report also takes into account the availability of medical care. It is a very important element of the life of seniors, significantly improving its quality. What is the status of access to hospitals, geriatric clinics, primary he alth care centers, night and holiday medical aid points and social care homes in individual cities?
The number of given establishments was divided by the number of inhabitants aged 60+ in a given city. He took the first placeOlsztyn, followed by Katowice and third place for Krakow.
According to the Senior Apartments survey, people aged 65+ do not feel old yet, they want to enjoy their retirement life and focus on their development. What they value most is their free time (14.8%), reading (12.8%) or pursuing their own interests (9.2%).
Currently, there are many places where seniors can spend time together, develop passions or get care and support. Senior Clubs, Universities of the Third Age or Day Homes for Seniors - this is where the elderly can actively participate in social life. How does the offer of the cities from our list look like in this respect? Very good.
In every town, seniors will find something for themselves. We assumed the number of people aged 60+ per Senior Club as the main conversion factor. As it turns out, the largest number of Senior Clubs in relation to the number of inhabitants aged 60+ is in Gdańsk, Wrocław and Poznań, while Białystok came at the end of the ranking, which is significantly different from the rest of the rate.
The report also includes green areas, discounts to theaters, availability of public transport and discounts on travel, including amenities for seniors.
In terms of the accessibility of public transport per 60+ inhabitants, the best situation is in Katowice, Gorzów Wielkopolski and Opole, and the worst in Bydgoszcz and Łódź.
As shown by the data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland, among the voivodship cities included in this section, Bydgoszcz is the one with the highest share of parks and estate greenery. Wrocław and Warsaw came next. The worst situation is in Zielona Góra.
The offer of Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Lublin was the best in the ranking. These three cities are the only ones that offer free travel by public transport for people aged 65+. Right behind them is Wrocław, where people aged 68+ can now use free communication and every year this age bar is lowering to reach the level of 65+ in 2022.
In other cities, people aged 70+ can enjoy free public transport. At the same time, in some centers additional discounts are introduced, such as the Senior Ticket, which is a very attractive option - such as in Warsaw and Poznań, where it costs only PLN 50 per year.
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