Survey on the social needs of people aged 50 and over in Bizkaia

This report comprises eight monographic chapters, written by some fifteen specialists with extensive research and scientific experience, affiliated with Basque universities as well as foundations and research centres. The eight chapters that make up the book all analyse the reality of the ageing population in Bizkaia from a perspective free of alarmism, celebrating longevity as a social and economic achievement. Furthermore, these texts highlight that age overlaps with other variables — gender, economic status, place of residence, health status, educational level… — and that each person’s specific situation depends on the intersection of all these factors. Age, in itself, explains and determines only a small part of people’s reality.

From this perspective, the first part of the book focuses on the subjective and relational aspects of the ageing process, on people’s perceptions of this process, on their social relationships and on their forms of social participation. This is followed by a series of articles that focus on aspects related to the economy, retirement, housing and the importance of the environment. The final two chapters of the book analyse the state of health and care needs of people aged 50 and over.

Among the contributors, our colleague Elena del Barrio, Director of Social Policies and Contexts at the Matia Institute, writes on “Ageism and the experience of ageing”, whilst Sara Marsillas, a researcher at the Matia Institute, focuses on personal relationships among people over the age of 50 in Bizkaia.