What do the elderly need in order to live with dignity in Portugal?

Abstract

We seek to determine what the elderly in Portugal perceive as necessary to live a dignified life in today’s world. We adopt a consensual approach complementing a quantitative method, using the microdata from Eurobarometer surveys, with a qualitative method, using the data from three focus groups held under the research project Rendimento Adequado em Portugal (RAP). The results reveal the advantages of this combination of methods, and suggest that the human needs considered as being fundamental for an elderly person to lead a dignified life in Portugal go beyond subsistence, also identifying the needs of protection, identity, affection, leisure, understanding, and freedom.