Case Work Intervention In The Plight Of Caregivers For The Mentally Retarded Elderly From The Perspective Of Social Support

With the increasingly serious aging problem,the number of elderly people with dementia is gradually increasing,and the caregivers behind the elderly with dementia are also being paid more and more attention by scholars.Influenced by the traditional concept of "family centered",China currently adopts home care for the elderly with dementia.In the long-term care process,caregivers for elderly people with dementia often bear unimaginable pressure from others.Without corresponding social support,they are more likely to fall into a helpless situation of care,affecting their physical,psychological,and social interactions,as well as their quality of life.This study takes the dilemma alleviation of caregivers for elderly people with dementia as the starting point.A spouse of an elderly person with dementia who has been taking care of them for many years is selected as the research object.Based on social support theory,participatory observation,semi-structured interviews,and scale tool methods are used to understand the basic information of the service object.It is found that the service object faces multiple psychological problems,weak emotional support,and insufficient care skills.After further analysis of the social support system of the service object,it was found that the main reason for the above difficulties of the service object was the disconnection of the social support system.In the process of practical intervention,social workers intervene in individual cases through three stages: individual level,informal support level,and formal support level.They comprehensively utilize resources such as individuals,families,relatives,neighbors,disabled persons’ federations,welfare homes,etc.to expand the social support network of service recipients,thereby helping them build psychological support,family support,and social support,while learning care knowledge,Provide policy information,apply for and obtain multiple disability certificates and disability assistive devices.Finally,through process evaluation and outcome evaluation,it was found that the difficulties of the service object were alleviated,the needs were met,and the goal of the case service was basically achieved.Research has shown that improving social support has a good effect on alleviating the plight of caregivers for elderly people with dementia.