| Abstract [eng] |
Title of the thesis: The empowerment of older individuals in social care. Relevance of the topic. The ageing of the population is accelerating with time. As a whole, society tends to underestimate the ability of elderly people to remain independent, which is a major obstacle to their functioning and self-actualisation. Therefore, empowerment is essential. Problem statement. In social care settings, empowerment is considered to be an important aspect, but social workers encounter a wide range of problems, obstacles, and barriers to empowerment. Hence, it is crucial to address all of these in order to ensure that social workers do not encounter difficulties in empowering social care residents in practice. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the empowerment of elderly people in social care from both a theoretical and practical perspective. To achieve this goal, the following objectives were set: 1. to provide a theoretical overview on empowerment; 2. to explore the theoretical aspects of empowerment of elderly people in residential care; 3. to examine the realities of empowerment of elderly people in residential care, highlighting the benefits, means, factors, and methods of empowerment; 4. to identify the issues related to the empowerment of elderly people in residential care. The research methods employed in the paper include an analysis of scientific literature, semi- structured interviews, and qualitative content analysis. Research results: the study found that the assessment of empowerment of older people in a social care institution encompasses two significant aspects, namely the resident’s own desire to be autonomous, and the assistance provided by the staff in empowering the individual. The study reveals the benefits of empowerment, including meeting their needs to remain independent, to fulfil themselves in everyday activities, to feel needed and happy, to improve their emotional and physical health. In addition to that having the opportunity to choose “what I desire” and, undoubtedly, being interesting to others and to themselves, not only within the care institution, but also within the community. Moreover, the study demonstrated that the competences of the social worker for empowerment are significant; the positive communication of the social worker with the residents’ relatives and close cooperation with different institutions, bodies, and colleagues; the development of an individual social care plan that meets the individual needs of each resident; the focus on the teamwork to achieve the goal of empowerment; and the promotion of the residents’ positive changes that not only guarantee their independence in their daily activities, but also their feeling of security. Factors contributing to the empowerment process: deterioration of residents’ physical and mental health, a shortage of staff who work with elderly people, and residents’ lack of acceptance and resistance towards empowerment. The study identified positive empowerment factors and barriers to empowerment, and found that residents, who lived in a town or city, had completed higher education, had developed a range of skills, and had favourable conditions. As a result, they were empowered in a care home without major difficulties, smoothly and had a strong desire to maintain their independence. The factors that hinder empowerment are: the residents’ former residence in a rural area, lack of higher education, inadequate skills, unfavourable life circumstances and age. The study has identified four distinct categories of empowerment for elderly people living in social care: individual, group, community, and societal. The study also revealed the knowledge, skills, and competences required by social workers in order to empower elderly people. Furthermore, the study reveals the challenges social workers encounter when working with the elderly, including the deteriorating health of the populace, their reluctance to be empowered, prejudices regarding empowerment, opposition to novel concepts, and resistance from staff. The research revealed the following factors that hinder empowerment: the absence of social workers and other professionals in the facility; lack of knowledge and training on empowerment; the unsuitable and unfashionable environment of the facility; inadequate resources of technical aids; and the negative attitude of the head of the facility towards empowerment. Conclusions: analysing the actual situation of empowering elderly people in social assistance has revealed that social workers understand the benefits of empowering elderly people by ensuring that their requirements are met. The success of the empowerment process is determined by the social worker’s competences and their development, the resident’s former place of residence in the city, his/her higher education, the different skills developed and the favourable life conditions. However, the negative process of empowerment is attributable to the deterioration of the physical and mental well- being of the residents, the insufficient staffing, the residents’ inability to accept assistance, and their resistance to empowerment. Additionally, the residents’ former residence in a rural area, lack of higher education, basic competences, unfavourable circumstances, and the residents’ age were all factors contributing to this. The methods employed to empower elderly people who reside in social care were identified at the individual, group, community, and societal levels. The identification of the difficulties that arise in the empowerment of elderly people living in a social care institution has revealed the challenges that social workers encounter in empowering older people living in residential care, as well as the factors that hinder the empowerment of elderly individuals who reside in residential care. |
