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Paper short abstract:

The paper describes challenges experienced by lonely elderly in getting social services in Uzbekistan. The study based on qualitative data collection: focus group discussion with lonely elderly and with service providers during June-July 2021.

Paper long abstract:

The study revealed challenges experienced by lonely elderly people (LEP), living alone in their apartments, in Uzbekistan. Some LEP pointed that they have financial difficulties to purchase medicines due to having polymorbidity and limited provision of medicines covered by government within the guaranteed package of services.

Social workers (SW) noted that LEP frequently experience lack of communication taking SW's time for chatting. This statement can be supported with a reply from FGD with LEP where they expressed interest in communication due to loneliness, mainly with younger generation, pointing that they get by this way more energy from them.

There are many distracting works which are not listed in SW's job description, such as assisting with elderly's household payments, gardening works etc. Moreover, SWs need more infrastructure to realize their current tasks, namely, every month food products should be delivered to lonely elderly and absence of service vehicle frequently cause delivery delay and non-satisfaction by LEP.

Next recommendations can be given to the government to manage challenges of social care quality: conduct trainings for lonely elderly on usage of modern technologies to realize their household payments; implement new social technologies to meet current demands of lonely elderly, namely renting gardens/cooperation with relative bodies, attraction of more younger generation to different social clubs or creation of centers for social services with provision of different events (talking clubs, movie clubs etc.) for both younger and elderly generation; and finally, infrastructure of available system requires updates with vehicles, tablets, PC and Internet.