Long-term care for people with dementia has been studied using the Rapid Assessment of Needs and Services method, which has been used to map long-term care needs in order to stimulate the development ...of care that effectively meets the needs of people with dementia. In this paper, we present the results of three focus groups with key stakeholders in long-term care for people with dementia in three selected communities, involving 29 people from a variety of organisations: social work centres, homes for the older people, health centres, general and psychiatric hospitals, municipalities and non-governmental organizations. Qualitative analysis of the empirical material showed that the following problems are prevalent in the communities: (i) acute and unmet needs of informal caregivers, (ii) a multi-tiered system of long-term care that puts people in an unequal position, (iii) a lack of community-based long-term care, and inadequate responses to the needs of people with dementia. Even in communities where there are various forms of support, both institutional and community-based, available across all service sectors, long-term care for people with dementia is based on informal care. We propose the development of a national strategy for family caregivers, with special attention to informal caregivers of people with dementia. The support offered by existing facilities is inadequate, poorly accessible, or nonexistent. Homes for older people are overcrowded, and people with dementia wait months or years to be admitted to a home. Home-based assistance is not evenly distributed across communities, and its scale (20 hours per week) in particular is insufficient to meet the needs of people with dementia. There is a lack of alternative forms of care that enable people with dementia to remain in their own home environment for as long as possible, for example in the form of personal assistance. We suggest that the development of long-term care for people with dementia should be based on the proposed research methodology.
Overview and analysis of current concepts in social work with people with dementia
The article presents the research project "Long-term care of people with dementia in social work theory and ...practice", the first Slovene national study in the field of research on the social dimensions of dementia. The first part presents the conceptual background of social work, which is the link between social work with people with dementia and the paradigmatic changes in long-term care. The second part presents the importance of the development of long-term care for people with dementia, the third part presents the purpose and objectives of the research project, and the fourth part elaborates the conceptual background, which is the basic guiding principle of the research in the project. Particular emphasis is placed on the methodological selection of current foreign scientific articles dealing with the topic presented, which have been published in the last twenty years in English. The results of the analysis show that three conceptual orientations prevail in the field of social work with people with dementia: (1) exploration of needs, (2) destigmatisation and anti-discrimination of people with dementia, and (3) participation of people with dementia in processes of help and support. In the concluding part, the author relates the findings of the analysis to the contemporary starting points of social work with people with dementia in Slovenia.
Researching people's everyday lives, exploring and working out answers together with people are fundamental processes of social work, whether working with individuals, different groups or ...communities. Without research, we cannot possibly know what specific tasks we can undertake or what social work goals we can achieve when it comes to helping situations. In recent decades, social work with older people has directed research toward the area of exploring the needs of people in long-term care, which has been shaped primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures taken to contain the pandemic have limited or even prevented opportunities to research the real-life situations of people in long-term care. Social work research with older people was limited in its ability to determine the impact of the pandemic on the lives of older people, which was a violation of fundamental ethical values in providing tailored care in the new life situations of the most vulnerable, frail, and needy members of society. This paper highlights the importance of social work research that addresses the immediate living environment in order to fully understand people's life situations that impact the development of both the profession and the science of social work. However, the barriers to research due to pandemic containment measures have impacted the profession and the development of social work science.
The issues associated with dementia are challenging for social workers, who have a lot of direct contact with people with dementia, as well as their support networks. These networks play a key role ...in the care of people with dementia. Social workers differ from other professionals in that they are aware of the urgency of attending to social justice, as well as the implementation of human rights, participation and equality. Recognising the experiences of people with dementia is of paramount relevance to social work, as it provides insight into their needs and the aptness of existing forms of assistance in responding to their needs. Through this approach, those working in social work strive to find new forms of help to enable people with dementia to live independently in their community. It is important to find ways to involve people with dementia as active co-creators in the helping process and in exploring the social perspectives of dementia. In the present paper, we present the literature review on experience of researching dementia from a social work perspective in Slovenia and Croatia—two countries with similarities in the development of social work and its research. The inclusion of people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia in research is very complex. Both professionals working with people with dementia (formal caregivers) and family members (mostly informal caregivers) face various difficulties and pressures. It is therefore important to consider research ethics and respect existing legal frameworks and informed consent. An individualised approach should be used to include people with dementia in research to meet their need for personal worth and dignity (despite numerous mental and functional deficits). Ultimately, all research should strive to determine the true situation of people with dementia and their needs, with the aim of using and developing their remaining abilities to improve the quality of life for both those people and those who provide care for them.
Institutional care for older people in Slovenia is one of the most developed forms of care for older people. The paper aims to present a specific role of homes in the existing and the future systems ...of long-term care from the perspective of the implementation of the national strategy of social welfare which highlights the individual treatment of its users, their inclusion in implementing and planning of care, as well as in strengthening their independence. On the basis of the survey research which covered all old people's homes in Slovenia, a series of interviews with social workers and residents and field visits to the selected homes excelling in innovative practice, we aim to show the most evident innovations. Among the most visible ones are social innovations, innovations in social welfare and home innovations. The impetus for the emerging innovations depends on the internal factors of care institutions (orientation of management, changes in the quality of services, personal relations) and external factors (cooperation with local authorities, implementation of the national strategy of social welfare). They also have an impact on the effects of innovations which may be short-term or they may have a direct impact on the quality of life in old people's homes. Identifying innovations proves that old people's homes are actively stepping into the area of long-term care which is expected to regulate their future role.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Due to demographic changes, social work with older people has been confronted with great challenges. It is essential to respond to them professionally, in a way adapted to the concepts and guidelines ...of social work. The method of personal planning and implementation of services is very important in this context. This method is present in the international context of social work; therefore its development and practice are discussed in this contribution from the perspective of providing personalisation and user perspective. Personalisation, user perspective and participation are the concepts followed by contemporary social policies, but in long-term care they represent the foundations of the paradigm shift in care. In social work, the concepts mentioned are key starting points to substantiate the provision of professional help that is ensured with the very method of personal planning and implementation of services. The specific features of this method in social work shall be presented in the case of older people, and we shall draw attention to issues that represent our weaker points in providing personalisation and empowerment of older people. Following the example of the use of this method in institutional care for older people in Slovenia, we shall show the nature of changes emerging from this method in the life of the residents and the operation of institutions. For the future, the method of personal planning and implementation of services is seen as the central principle of social work that separates professional social work from other disciplines, giving it a central role in the empowerment of older people and providing autonomous decision-making in the helping process.
Institutional care for older people in Slovenia is one of the most developed forms of care for older people. The paper aims to present a specific role of homes in the existing and the future systems ...of long-term care from the perspective of the implementation of the national strategy of social welfare which highlights the individual treatment of its users, their inclusion in implementing and planning of care, as well as in strengthening their independence. On the basis of the survey research which covered all old people's homes in Slovenia, a series of interviews with social workers and residents and field visits to the selected homes excelling in innovative practice, we aim to show the most evident innovations. Among the most visible ones are social innovations, innovations in social welfare and home innovations. The impetus for the emerging innovations depends on the internal factors of care institutions (orientation of management, changes in the quality of services, personal relations) and external factors (cooperation with local authorities, implementation of the national strategy of social welfare). They also have an impact on the effects of innovations which may be short-term or they may have a direct impact on the quality of life in old people's homes. Identifying innovations proves that old people's homes are actively stepping into the area of long-term care which is expected to regulate their future role. Key words: older people, welfare, institutions, innovations, long-term care. Institucionalna skrb za starije osobe u Sloveniji jedan je od najrazvijenijih oblika skrbi za starije osobe. U radu se nastoji predstaviti specificnu ulogu domova za starije osobe u postojecem i buducem sustavu dugorocne skrbi iz perspektive primjene nacionalne strategije socijalne skrbi koja naglasava individualni tretman korisnika, njihovo ukljucivanje u primjenu i planiranje skrbi, kao i jacanje njihove neovisnosti. Na temelju istrazivanja koje je obuhvatilo sve domove za starije u Sloveniji, niza razgovora sa socijalnim radnicima i stanarima domova te posjeta odabranim domovima koji se isticu u inovativnim praksama nastojimo pokazati najevidentnije inovacije. Medu najvidljivijima su socijalne inovacije, inovacije u socijalnoj skrbi i inovacije domova. Poticaj za nove inovacije ovisi o unutarnjim cimbenicima institucija za pruzanje skrbi (orijentacija uprave, promjene u kvaliteti usluga, osobni odnosi) i o vanjskim cimbenicima (suradnja s tijelima mjesne uprave, primjena nacionalne strategije socijalne skrbi). Oni isto tako utjecu na ucinke inovacija koje mogu biti kratkorocne ili mogu imati izravan ucinak na kvalitetu zivota u domovima za starije osobe. Identifikacija inovacija dokazuje da domovi za starije osobe aktivno ulaze u podrucje dugorocne skrbi od kojeg se ocekuje regulacija njihove buduce uloge. Kljucne rijeci: starije osobe, skrb, institucije, inovacije, dugorocna skrb.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Uslijed demografskih promjena, socijalni rad sa starijim osobama pred velikim je izazovima. Važno je na te izazove odgovoriti profesionalno u skladu s načelima i smjernicama za socijalni rad. U tom ...je kontekstu vrlo važna metoda personaliziranog planiranja i pružanja usluga. Ta metoda postoji u međunarodnom kontekstu socijalnog rada. Stoga se u ovom radu govori o njezinom unapređenju i praktičnoj primjeni iz perspektive pružanja personaliziranih usluga i perspektive korisnika. Personalizacija, perspektiva korisnika i uključenost načela su koja su dio suvremenih socijalnih politika, no u kontekstu dugoročne skrbi ta su načela temelj za promjenu paradigme u skrbi. U socijalnom radu, spomenuta su načela ključne polazne točke za pružanje profesionalne pomoći koja se osigurava upravo metodom personaliziranog planiranja i pružanja usluga. Specifične karakteristike te metode u socijalnom radu predstavljamo na primjeru starijih osoba te ukazujemo na slabe točke u pružanju personalizirane skrbi i osnaživanju starijih osoba. Nakon primjera za primjenu te metode u institucionalnoj skrbi za starije osobe u Sloveniji ukazujemo na vrstu promjena do kojih dolazi u životu korisnika i radu institucije uslijed primjene te metode. Smatramo da će u budućnosti metoda personaliziranog planiranja i pružanja usluga biti glavno načelo socijalnog rada po kojem se profesionalni socijalni rad razlikuje od drugih disciplina, čime ima središnju ulogu u osnaživanju starijih osoba i omogućavanju autonomnog odlučivanja u procesu primanja pomoći.
Raziskovanje socialnih razsežnosti demence ima v mednarodnem kontekstu več kot tridesetletno tradicijo, v Sloveniji pa se s tem ne ukvarjamo še niti dve desetletji. Kljub temu že od začetka sledimo ...raziskovalnim trendom, saj v raziskovanje vnašamo uporabniško perspektivo, ki je osrednje konceptualno vodilo socialnega dela. V zadnjih štirih letih smo raziskovanje demence usmerili v interdisciplinarno raziskovanje. V članku so prikazani namen in cilji treh interdisciplinarnih raziskav in njihovi rezultati. V raziskavah smo znanje socialnega dela dopolnjevali z različnimi vedami iz tehnike, humanistike in družboslovja. Po eni strani smo znanje in koncepte socialnega dela z ljudmi z demenco v teh raziskavah preverjali in dopolnjevali, po drugi strani pa smo z zagovorniškim odnosom do ljudi z demenco v njih vzdrževali uporabniško perspektivo in njeno uporabo preizkušali v sodelujočih znanostih. Pokazalo se je, da je interdisciplinarno raziskovanje demence področje novega znanja za ravnanje z ljudmi z demenco in zanje.
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