Social work and care in the elderly: an emerging topic for professional intervention

Abstract

Different disciplines address the issue of care, among them, Social Work as a profession that cares socially for the subjects. This work describes the importance of the intervention of Social Work in the training of caregivers for people who require care, especially care for the elderly. The participation of the Social Work professional with this group demands an ethical-political position based on human rights and gender equality that promotes more democratic care actions and social justice. The results of two socio educational intervention actions with elderly caregivers and/or disabled people, showed that not only it gave them theoretical-practical elements to reduce the difficulties they face daily when providing care, but also opened the discussion about the economic, political, cultural components and structural inequalities that contribute to the lack of social responsibility in care.