Social Work Involved In The Mutual Aid And Support Network For The Elderly Who Lost Their Only Child

The implementation of family planning policy produces economic benefits while population control produces a special group of the elderly who have lost their only child.Denying established facts cognitively and emotionally as well as fearing of festivals,the elderly who have lost their only child are immersed in pain and despair.In social behavior,they actively isolate themselves from their relatives,friends,and neighbors,even hide in temples to break away from the acquaintances’ world,which lead to active or passive fracture of social support network of the elderly.However,the self-isolation of the elderly who have lost their only child does not mean that they do not have the need to talk and communicate with others.On the contrary,they are more eager to be understood by others,and more in need of others’ warmth and support.Therefore,based on the characteristics of the elderly who have lost their only child,this paper takes the elderly in each community of Street A in Lianhu District as the research object,and the service project of the elderly who have lost their only child in social work institutions in Xi ’an as the research platform.In this paper,an in-depth study on how to build a mutual support network for the elderly who lost their only child is conducted by the author.By participating in the service activities provided by social work agencies for the elderly who have lost their only child,a set of quality data is collected using observation method and questionnaire survey method in the process of home visit and forum by the author.Combined with the elderly who have lost their only child and their surrounding environment,the current situation of These people was analyzed from the material and spiritual aspects and Their demands were evaluated.At the same time,based on the theory of social capital,this paper analyzes the feasibility of social work intervening in the mutual aid of the elderly who have lost their only child in three dimensions including trust,network,and norms with the characteristics of their peers as the intervention point and professional social work skills and methods are implied to excavate the social capital of these people.Furthermore,three aspects of vital importance in continuing to extend mutual aid activities are researched in detail consist of trust-building with the elderly,platform construction for those who suffer the same miserable condition,and norms of mutual aid activities.