256 Trakia Journal of Sciences, Vol. 13, Suppl. 2, 2015 Trakia Journal of Sciences, Vol. 13, Suppl. 2, pp 256-259, 2015 Copyright © 2015 Trakia University Available online at: http://www.uni-sz.bg ISSN 1313-7050 (print) doi:10.15547/tjs.2015.s.02.057 ISSN 1313-3551 (online) THE ROLE OF FAMILY DOCTORS IN BULGARIA IN SOLVING THE MAIN MEDICAL AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS WHICH ARE OF DIRECT CONCERN TO ELDERLY PEOPLE S. Alekova 1* , V. Slavova 2 , V. Ivanov 2 , I. Ovcharov 3 , M. Platikanova 4 1 Department of General Medicine and Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine 2 Department of Neurology, Psychiatry, Disaster Medicine, Faculty of Medicine 3 Department of Surgery, Neurosurgery and Urology, Faculty of Medicine, 4 Departament of of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria ABSTRACT Family doctors are key player in the process of caring for elderly and geriatric patients. On the basis of their professional competence, they participate not only in medical care for the elderly people, but also mental and social assistance of the elderly. With reference to the study of the basic medical and social problems in the elderly is necessary to develop a complex prevention-oriented program for medical and psychosocial geriatric care in Bulgaria. Key words: Family doctors, the elderly people, medical and social problems INTRODUCTION From medical and biological point of view, the aging of the human body is seen as a period of life in which the appearances of disabilities to physical and mental functions are increased many times in comparison with the transitional stages. (1) In individual direction, it is a process associated with the accumulation of irreversible functional losses, to which person strives for adapting in a socially acceptable way. Over the last decade, increasingly important becomes demographic aging and the consequences, which it entails. Changes in the standard of living, developments in medical science and practice, prevention of many infectious and contagious diseases with high lethality, and also reduction/ of coefficients of birthrate and child mortality, lead to prolongation of survival of populations to adulthood and increase the relative share of persons in non-productive age.People in retiring age represent a significant contingent in the Patient Registry to each family doctor. _____________________________ *Correspondence to: Dr. Sevdalina Alekova Todorova, Department of General Medicine and Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Trakia University, Armeiska 11, 6000 Stara Zagora, Mobile: 0894/ 349517, Е-mail: sevdalina_1983@abv.bg Specific health and social problems of individuals over 65 years requires special approaches and decisions, as well as additional knowledge in the field of geriatrics and gerontology. (1, 6) Goal The aim of our study was to determine the specific social and health problems of older people and the role of GPs in resolving them through the provision of required medical care. Materials and methods: To realize the goal, we have examined and analyzed the publications and reports of local and foreign experts, colleagues - doctors, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists and other studied topics. Further we interviewed a group of 24 family doctors exercising their activities in Stara Zagora region in December 2014. The interview process was implemented on the territory of the Medical Faculty in section "General Medicine" within two astronomical hours. Because of the wide range of issues, which were discussed by the study group, we publish a relatively small part of the received and analyzed information. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS In a number of national and international reports about the health of nations annually was observed the tendency of increasing