SREČANJE S STAROSTJO

Opis

Zasl. prof. dr. Šime Ivanjko o svojem delu

Odlomek iz avtorjevega uvodnika:

»Namen tega dela je ponuditi bralcem opcijo, da se z razmišljanjem o starosti pripravijo

na čudež lepote življenja, ki se lahko uresniči v tem starostnem obdobju, in da se v družbi

spremeni vsiljeno prepričanje, da smo nepotrebni in breme družbi ter samim sebi napoti.

Po naravi stvari smo poklicani v življenje, da bi bili srečni, in ker je starost sestavni del

življenja, potem je nujno ustvariti pogoje, da bi tudi v tem obdobju bili srečni. Srečo

nam lahko omogoči družba, vendar samo pod pogojem, da smo sami aktivni pri iskanju

sreče v sedanjem trenutku.

Če bodo moja razmišljanja pomagala bralcem, bodočim starejšim, da se pravočasno

pripravijo na starost in da se današnjim mladim posreduje nesporna, vendar spregledana

ugotovitev, da so za sedanjo, doslej v civilizaciji najvišjo kakovost življenja zaslužni

današnji starejši, kakor koli že razumemo ta pojem, potem je moj namen dosežen.«

Iz uvodnega prispevka urednice, zasl. prof. dr. Jane Goriup:

Gradivo »Srečanje s starostjo « avtorja zasl. prof. dr. Šime Ivanjka je pomembno z več vidikov. Najprej že zato, ker aktualizira vprašanja pojma in operacionalizacije staranja in starosti, spola, družbenega položaja starejših odraslih, družinskih procesov in družinske strukture, domskega bivanja, anksioznosti, odtujenosti, anemičnosti, samopodobe in samospoštovanja starejših ljudi, lokusa kontrole, intelektualnih sposobnosti oz. inteligentnosti, prostočasnih dejavnosti, kulturnega kapitala in socialnega kapitala starejših odraslih, sodelovanja med starejšimi, mlajšimi in drugimi deležniki v bivanju starejših. Vsebino pričujočega dela predstavljajo avtorjevi zbrani občasni zapisi, spodbujeni z različnimi doživetji v starejšem obdobju njegovega življenja, s prebranimi razmišljanji iz posameznih knjig, strokovnih in poljudnih člankov in iz že porumenelih zapisov za predavanja študentom prava in ekonomije. Za slovnično oblikovanje posameznih misli je koristil tudi pomoč umetne inteligence na platformi OpenAI. Posebej mu je bila umetna inteligenca v pomoč pri zbiranju raznih citatov in iskanju stališč o starosti na področjih literarnih del in religioznih knjig. Strokovno literaturo o starosti je prebiral s pomočjo platforme Blinks, ki objavlja povzetke več svetovno znanih del in raziskav. Tako so zapisi v tej publikaciji povzetek avtorjevega 10-letnega razmišljanja o lastno doživeti starosti in o prebranih delih, gledanju TV oddaj in objav v strokovnih in dnevnih medijih o starosti, ker ocenjuje, da se o starosti sicer veliko objavlja, pa kot posamezniki nismo dovolj seznanjeni, še manj pa pripravljeni na starost.

Pričujoča publikacija je nastajala več let, odkar se je avtor leta 2012 upokojil po 51 letih poklicnega dela in vstopil v obdobje »starosti«, čeprav, tako avtor, ne ve, kdaj je (njegova) starost sploh nastopila oz. se začela. Zato njegova pronicljiva, mestoma tudi polemična razmišljanja o staranju in starosti, procesih staranja, zdravja in bolezni v zadnjem obdobju človekovega življenja, a hkrati tudi vsebine in poti aktivnega in produktivnega staranja, obravnava z več vidikov in tako na imanentni način aktualizira vprašanja naraščajočega pomena zavedanja in udejanjanja pomena staranja, starosti in zdravja v postmoderni družbi ter aktivnega, produktivnega, delovnega in zdravega načina življenja in boja zoper bolezen v luči trajnostnega razvoja starejših odraslih. Za avtorja je

 »staranje štiristopenjski duhovni proces oziroma gre za štiri ključne stopnje staranja: sprejetje dejstva, da se staramo; prilagajanje spremembam, ki jih prinaša starost v naše življenje; sprejemanje spoznanja, kdo smo, in ugotavljanje, da smo edinstveni«.

Encountering Old Age

Prof. Emer. Dr. Šime Ivanjko about his work

Excerpt from the author’s introduction:

“The purpose of this work is to offer readers the option to prepare for the miracle of the beauty of life in old age by reflecting on ageing, and to shift the imposed belief in society that we are unnecessary and a burden to society and a hindrance to ourselves. By the nature of things, we are called to live to be happy, and since old age is an integral part of life, it is essential to create the conditions for us to be happy even in this stage. Society can provide happiness, but only on the condition that we ourselves actively seek happiness in the present moment.
If my thoughts help readers, the future elderly, to prepare in time for old age, and if today’s young people understand the indisputable yet often overlooked fact that the current, highest quality of life in civilization so far is due to today’s elderly, however we may define that term, then my purpose is fulfilled.”

From the editor’s introduction, Prof. Emer. Dr. Jana Goriup:

The material “Encountering Old Age” by Prof. Emer. Dr. Šime Ivanjko is important from multiple perspectives. Firstly, because it brings to the forefront issues regarding the concept and operationalization of ageing and old age, gender, the social status of older adults, family processes and family structure, residential living, anxiety, alienation, anemia, the self-image and self-esteem of older people, the locus of control, intellectual abilities or intelligence, leisure activities, cultural capital, and social capital of older adults, as well as the cooperation between the elderly, younger generations, and other stakeholders in the living arrangements of older adults. The content of this work consists of the author’s collected occasional writings, inspired by various experiences in the later stages of his life, by reflections drawn from books, academic and popular articles, and from yellowed lecture notes prepared for law and economics students. For the grammatical formation of specific ideas, he also used the assistance of artificial intelligence on the OpenAI platform. The artificial intelligence was particularly helpful in gathering various quotes and perspectives on old age from literary works and religious texts. He read professional literature on ageing with the help of the Blinks platform, which publishes summaries of world-renowned works and research. Thus, the writings in this publication are a summary of the author’s 10-year reflection on his own experience of ageing and on the works he has read, TV shows he has watched, and publications in academic and daily media on the topic of ageing, as he believes that although much is published about ageing, as individuals we are not sufficiently informed, and even less prepared for old age.
This publication has been in the making for several years since the author retired in 2012 after 51 years of professional work and entered the period of “old age,” though, as the author states, he does not know when (his) old age actually began. Hence, his insightful and, at times, polemical reflections on ageing, the ageing process, health, and illness in the final stages of life, while also addressing the contents and paths of active and productive ageing, are examined from various perspectives. In this way, he inherently raises questions about the increasing importance of awareness and the implementation of the meaning of ageing, old age, and health in a postmodern society, along with active, productive, and healthy lifestyles, and the fight against illness in the context of sustainable development for older adults. For the author,

“ageing is a four-stage spiritual process, or there are four key stages of ageing: accepting the fact that we are ageing; adapting to the changes that old age brings to our lives; accepting the realization of who we are; and recognizing that we are unique.”