IntroductionZinc (Zn) is one of the most important trace elements in the body. Zn deficiency seems to play a role in the development of age-related diseases and impairment of quality of life. Zn status has been especially studied in free-living or hospitalised people, but data from older residents of nursing homes are scarce. This study aimed to determine the Zn status among the older individuals in correlation to their mental and physical performance.MethodsA total of 100 participants aged between 60-102 years were recruited between October 2010 and May 2012 at the nursing home in Bialystok (Poland). Zn status was evaluated by determining the concentration in serum by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Anthropometric variables and fitness score (FS) were measured. Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Self-Rated Health (SRH), independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) were recorded.Results and DiscussionThe mean serum Zn concentration was 0.83±0.20 mg/L, 28% of residents had Zn deficiency. Cognitive functions were impaired (AMTS≤8) in 45% of the studied persons and 48% showed depressive symptoms (GDS≥1). The ability to independently perform activities of daily living (ADL = 6) was found in 61% of participants, but most of them (90%) had weak body type (FS<70), correlating with GDS, SRH and body mass index (BMI). Serum Zn concentration correlated with mental efficiency and was statistically significantly higher in older people with normal cognitive function and without depression than in patients with memory impairment and showing depressive symptoms.ConclusionsNursing home residents seem at risk of marginal Zn status, which correlates with their mental status as measured by the AMTS and GDS. Their low FS is associated with mental health deterioration and obesity.

Beata Cytowska, "Trudne drogi adaptacji. Wątki emancypacyjne w analizie sytuacji dorosłych osób z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną we współczesnym społeczeństwie polskim", Wydawnictwo Impuls, Kraków 2012 Monografia Beaty Cytowskiej pt. "Trudne drogi adaptacji. Wątki emancypacyjne w analizie sytuacji dorosłych osób z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną we współczesnym społeczeństwie polskim" to praca, którą można uznać za pionierską. Książka ta istotnie uzupełnia wiedzę nie tylko o niepełnosprawności intelektualnej, ale także, co niezwykle ważne z punktu widzenia andragoga, odkrywa świat dorosłości osób z taką dysfunkcją. Ten etap życia był przez bardzo długi czas marginalizowany w literaturze naukowej poświęconej niepełnosprawnym intelektualnie. Cytowska poddając analizie doświadczenia życiowe dorosłych z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną podjęła ważną próbę obalenia wizerunku "wiecznych dzieci", jaki towarzyszy tym osobom nie tylko w codzienności, ale także wydaje się być obecny w świecie nauki.Atutem książki jest również wszechstronne ujęcie problemów życiowych dorosłych niepełnosprawnych intelektualnie. Autorka poddaje refleksji możliwości adaptacyjne dorosłych niepełnosprawnych intelektualnie do ciągłych zmian społecznych, które zachodzą w Polsce w okresie ostatnich kilkudziesięciu lat. Adaptację społeczną badaczka rozumie jako proces polegający na ciągłej interakcji między jednostką a jej otoczeniem społeczno-przyrodniczym, polegający na doświadczaniu umożliwiającym rozwój. Cytowska założyła, iż z perspektywy badanych, do działań mających na celu ułatwienie adaptacji społecznej zaliczyć należy nauczanie, wychowanie i terapię.Książka składa się z siedmiu rozdziałów -trzech teoretycznych, jednego metodologicznego i trzech empirycznych. W rozdziale pierwszym -

Streszczenie. Tekst stanowi podsumowanie wyników badań prowadzonych w ramach pracy doktorskiej. Przedmiotem badań i refleksji jest przyjaźń osób dorosłych i uczenie się w sytuacji przyjaźni. Autorka wprowadza zjawisko-relację przyjaźni w obszar badań andragogicznych i prezentuje ich wyniki. Pokazuje, iż przyjaźń-uniwersalna przestrzeń życia człowiekawspółwystępuje z procesami uczenia się, realizowanego przy okazji "dziania się" przyjaźni. Słowa kluczowe: przyjaźń, uczenie się w przyjaźni, edukacja nieformalna, raport z badań. Summary. The text is summation research results of Ph.D. Dissertation. The subject is adult friendship and adult learning in friendship. Author introduces a phenomenon-the relationship of friendship as an area of andragogical research and presents the results. It shows that friendship-a universal space of human life-coexists with the processes of learning, realized along with the "happening" of friendship.

In this article we concentrated on the problem of disability in old age. This study presents: old age, aging process, disability and consequences disability in old age. Reflections on the support of older people with disability located and the end.

Current scientific publications present different paradigms of masculinity, but research in this area is a relatively new perspective. However, the specific nature of the everyday experience of people with intellectual disability is still neglected and unrecognised. The aim of this article is to show the concept of masculinity from the perspective of men with intellectual disability. The research is placed in the stream of qualitative research using a case study as a method. The subject of the research covers the statements of men with intellectual disability concerning masculinity. The analysis of the research material obtained from 12 interviews allowed for the identification of four types of masculinity.

The text is an attempt to present the phenomenon of experiencing otherness by adult people with mental disability. The author presents survey results which are a part of a bigger project researching the microworlds of adults with intellectual disability. In the research, both as the strategy of collecting the research materials and the method of their analysis, the methodology of constructing grounded theory by Kathy Charmaz was used. 14 adults with intellectual disability, attendees of the Community Centre of Self-Help, were researched, as well as 14 attendants (including parents and the centre’s employees). The results showed otherness as a specific phenomenon experienced by all the surveyed people with intellectual disability.

Context: The care of adults with intellectual disabilities is marginalized and rarely studied in Poland. In recent years, this issue has gained particular importance, partly due to the increasing life expectancy of people with ID. This paper presents a study of the function of informal caregivers for adults with ID, comprising parents who provide regular, constant, physical and emotional support and assistance with everyday activities to their adult children. Due to cultural and institutional conditions, Polish society sets high expectations for families regarding the care of their dependent members. Social policy also mainly promotes informal care, with formal care only being supported to a very limited extent. The state delegates responsibility, including financial responsibility, to families. With the rapid aging of society, this situation poses great challenges. Methods: This study was conducted in the Łodź region of Poland; it used a qualitative approach, and a semi-structured interview was performed using the narrative elements technique. The main goal of the research was to understand the situation of caregivers to adults with an intellectual disability by identifying thematic categories in the respondents’ statements. The analysis of the qualitative data content made it possible to capture and present the participants’ personal perspectives on significant issues connected with their function in the context of providing care to an adult with an intellectual disability. A total of 12 interviews were conducted. The age of the respondents (caregivers) was 51–82 years old, and the individuals they were caring for were between 20 and 49 years old. Results: Based on the materials collected, 13 thematic categories and subcategories were identified, along with illustrative examples. The main categories concerned everyday functioning, health, uncertainty, relationships with others, feelings, time, and the macro level. For each category, subcategories were distinguished and illustrated by the respondents’ statements. The categories and subcategories were not completely distinct; sometimes they overlapped or complemented one another. Conclusions: For the majority of the respondents, the care of an adult with an intellectual disability had a negative effect on their well-being. As a consequence, they performed their caregiver’s role at the expense of their own lifestyle. Noticeable themes included “addiction” to caregiving, psychophysical fatigue, and the needs and difficulties resulting from this being “ignored” by the commonly understood social environment (including state institutions). Thus, the care of dependent adults with ID should be viewed on a broad human spectrum, that is, in consideration of the unique situation of those who remain under permanent care provided by family members, those who live alone, and those whose loved ones try to combine caregiving with their own private lives. This is becoming all the more important, as the number of seniors with intellectual disabilities will continue to grow in the coming decades.

The aim of the publication is to present selected results of the research on distance education of students with disabilities in Polish higher education institutions during COVID-19 pandemics. The authors gathered the opinions from 291 students with various disabilities, and they performed the analysis of the implementation of online education process in pandemics from the perspective of this specific group. The publication includes the respondents' experiences referring to different areas of distance education and to its positive and negative aspects. It also offers the assessment of online learning from the substantive and organisational angle and from the perspective of its influence on the psychic, physic and social sphere of the respondents' functioning. Also the opinions of students with disabilities on the support they expected and the one they received and on their expectations for distance education to be better adjusted to their needs are included in the publication. Perspectives of students with different disability types and levels, representing various higher education institutions, different study programmes, cycles and stages of studying were taken into consideration in the research.