Keywords
theory of aging
coping strategies
life span
social work
Abstract
The paper presents the results of a case study that examines the relationship between the entry of an elderly female person into a nursing home and the observed change in her disease symptoms within the following few months. The reasons that led to the nursing home entry are highlighted and compared with the results of further interviews. The analysis of the interviews with the female addressee, the nursing care manager, and seven other interview partners* as well as the ethnographic observations, was made using grounded theory and topic analysis. The results, this can already be anticipated, show a connection between the loss of autonomy and roles caused by the structures of the nursing home and the observed change of the disease symptoms.
A part of the task of social work with people in need of care is to remedy deficiencies in the counselling, support, and accompaniment of affected persons and their relatives. The results of the case study can support the further planning of care and nursing alternatives and show the extensive field of action of social work with elderly people.
Keywords: care, theory of aging, coping strategies, life span, social work