Łyskawa, Krzysztof2013-07-172013-07-171999Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny 61, 1999, z. 1, s. 183-198.0035-9629http://hdl.handle.net/10593/6963The „earning possibility” is generally menaced by four dangers: untimely death, reaching the old age, illness or invalidity, unemployment. The Author of the article is preoccupied with the problem of losing the earning capacity in the old age from the point of view of social insurance for retired people. Starting from defining the notion of „an old man” and characterising his living functions after the theory of S. Katz on activities of daily living - the Author discusses system of States’ and individual insurance for the retired as well as the system of life insurance. He presents the scope of services offered by insurance firms, the aims and effects of their functioning in relation with a reform of the pensions’ and annuities’ system which is now having place in Poland.plArtykuł