Introduction

Bulgarian population is characterized by its multi-ethnical composition. There are three main ethnic groups in this country: Bulgarian (more than 80% of the total population); Turkish (about 10%), and Roma (Gipsy) (about 5%). The age structure of the three main ethnic groups in Bulgaria is quite different, due to differences in the levels of fertility (highest in the Roma population and lowest in the Bulgarian ethnic group) and mortality (also highest in the Roma population and lowest in the Bulgarian ethnic group). The Roma population is the youngest, and the Bulgarian population is the oldest, the Turkish population lies in-between.

The position and the role of old people in a family and in the society are quite different in the three ethnic groups. In the Roma and in the Turkish populations old males are clearly heads of their families and there is a clear hierarchy by sex and age – the oldest are usually the highest in this hierarchy. Extended families are predominant. Even in cases where nuclear families exist as separate households, they coordinate their values and their behavior to the oldest members of the extended family (Tomova 1995).

In the Bulgarian ethnic group nuclear families are largely predominant, and old people often live in separated dwellings. Thus they become vulnerable to health problems, social institutions communication problems, as well as financial problems. Sometimes they become victims of various forms of aggression.