Last update:
23-Jul-2008

OBJECTIVE The article refers to the overall evaluation of the "In-House Help" program as developed in the prefecture of Chios.

METHOD Two thousand elderly who are supported by in the "In-House Help" program participated in our research. The instrument used asked questions on the perception of the elderly towards aging and death, their participation in social groups and activities and the evaluation of the "In-House Help" program.

RESULTS 75% of the elderly who are supported by the "In-House Help" program report that they are not satisfied by the way they live, while 77.5 argue that aged people are socially ignored and are not treated with the appropriate respect. 60.5% of the sample reported great satisfaction by the program, though demands for bigger economic support are also stat-ed. While 80% say that they are absolutely grateful by the nursing care provided, an 82% reckons that medical care should reach higher levels. 63% of the questioned people report that they feel quite lonely. Finally, people that be-long to a relatively higher socioeconomic status seem to be more satisfied by the program compared to people of lower socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSIONS The high percentage of the elderly arguing that medical care provid-ed by the program is insufficient is quite impressive. on the contrary, nursing and "in-home care" care are evaluated as much more satisfactory. Thus, in all three categories of care provided, there is a noticeable lack of the program to adequately satisfy the needs of aged people.

Key words: Evaluation, Exclusion, In house help.