6.2 THE INSTITUTIONS 133 SOCIAL SERVICES Which sector of production do social services belong to? The idea of social services flourished in the 20th century as the idea of social responsibility developed and spread. In Italy the percentage of people over 65 was about 24% in 2023. The number of people over 80 is on the rise and was about 8% in the same year. Definition The term social services refers to the whole set of services privately or publicly offered to the population to preserve and improve their well-being. Though they are perceived differently in different parts of the world, they usually include: ONLINE RESOURCES Social care for the elderly city council: Comune concern: preoccupazione distressed: in difficolt to flourish: svilupparsi frail: fragile health care unit: azienda sanitaria locale (ASL) income: reddito recipient: destinatario report: segnalazione sheltered housing: ospitalit in casa protetta telecare: dispositivo salvavita a distanza general services, offered to people without a specific application procedure, such as hospitals, community centres, and schools; families with low income; children and adolescents at risk; sick, addicted, or disabled people; the frail elderly; the unemployed. The purposes The main purposes of social services are: personal services, provided to disadvantaged, distressed, or vulnerable people and activated with a specific application procedure either requested by the individual or after a report. They include: welfare services, for aid personally directed to vulnerable groups such as the poor and the disabled; remedial services, for individual people in acute or chronic distress. keeping families together in their local communities; However, when someone talks about social services, they usually intend the category of personal services, whose basic concerns are: poverty, disability, disease, children, and older people in need. Social services for everybody The elderly are the largest group using social services worldwide. The main services provided are residential and nursing care, sheltered housing, day centres, lunch clubs, and telecare. As for families in need, the type of services provided are: food and water, healthcare, mental health assistance, financial assistance for basic needs, and, in case of unemployment, employment assistance. As regards children, social services aim at their protection against abuse and mistreatment and, when necessary, they are separated from their parents and are hosted in community homes. In the case of addiction, appropriate treatment is provided. Recipients Personal social services are provided on an individual basis to people who are unable, temporarily or permanently, to cope with the problems of everyday life. They are provided by local authorities such as city 272 SOCIETy HElpS councils, health care units, or authorised private structures. The recipients include: providing substitute forms of home life or residential care; supporting people in need because of their disability or disease; playing a key role in the care and control of juvenile delinquents and socially deviant groups, such as drug and alcohol abusers.