| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of this Master thesis is to reveal the opportunities of social workers' activities, providing social assistance to the family in the context of Alzheimer's disease. The following research objectives were raised: 1) to reveal the concept of Alzheimer's disease, characteristic of the family in the Alzheimer's situation, problems and social aspects of the work with these families; 2) to identify the activities carried out by social worker providing social assistance to families in the context of Alzheimer's disease; 3) to analyze the opportunities of social assistance for families in Alzheimer's situation; 4) to identify the need of social work with families in the context of Alzheimer's disease. Applied research methods: theoretical analysis, structured interview and content analysis. The research included 5 families which are nursing a person with Alzheimer, 10 social workers working with a person with Alzheimer and his/her family in Lithuania and 5 social workers who work with the person with Alzheimer's disease in Ukraine. The main conclusions: social workers provide social assistance to a person with Alzheimer and their families applying individual work with the person, instrumental support and family information and counseling based on the principle of individual access to a person. They face with exaggerated dipped care of the family, which prevents social workers help to organize the process including a wider range of socio-educational activities. As possible social assistance system improvements to these people social workers named searching for a social service funding mechanism and development of day care centers for persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease. In the whole process of social assistance, social workers would like to work in inter-institutional cooperation based on teamwork, sharing experience, confidence building and sharing of responsibilities between the authorities and the display of the initiative. Families perceive nursing as a self-sacrificing work, which leads to both physical as well as psychological problems. Social assistance has been shared among relatives, but many help has been received from health care professionals, especially family doctors. Absence of free time and the continuous personal care, which could be facilitated by specialist help and provision of medication and care, are marked. Bringing social services to the home environment and providing psychological and financial support, and care services are emphasized as the most important needs of family. Recommendations for the opportunities of social workers' activities providing social assistance to the family in the context of Alzheimer's disease were formulated. |
