Development of senior social services in the process of transformation and decentralisation and its present day forms in Slovakia

The aim of this research study is to reflect historical development and analyse changes in the provision and funding of social services in Slovakia in the legislative framework - including a comparison of Act No. 195/1998 Coll. On social assistance and Act No. 448/2008 Coll. On social services. The qualitative research study analyses the impacts of the decentralization and transformation of social services on the basis of the practical experiences of the directors of non-public social services centres provided by church organisations. The total sample consisted of 41 managers working in social services. Data collection was completed at the end of 2019, and we used open coding, comparison, and categorization to reflect the development of social services. The results showed a rapid decrease in the number of low threshold social services and daily care centres for seniors. They also showed an increased number of elderly and vulnerable people over a 20-year period. The law amendments made impact on the transformation and the modernisation of social services and the creation of new forms of institutional care services, including home care - which is much preferred due to the higher unemployment level of people over 50 who become home-care givers. The typology of clients has changed from "walkers" to seniors with IV.-V. degree of dependence on the long-term care. Home care has been replaced by residential care for the elderly. There is a huge need for the combination of social and health care in social care centres - including medical staff, care givers and social workers.