Il lavoro degli assistenti sociale con adulti e anziani non-autosufficienti: una ricerca esplorativa sugli interventi ben riusciti

Gerontological social work is a working area that engages many social workers, however there are few studies that highlight its characteristics. Often it is represented by students and professionals as not very interesting and connected exclusively to the provision of standard services. This paper presents the results of a research carried out in a District of Lombardy, aimed at describing the work of social workers who deal with dependent people and highlighting their strengths in dealing with the situations of people in difficulty. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the 5 social workers working in the non-self-sufficiency area in the 4 District Municipalities. Social workers were asked to describe some situations that had a positive outcome. 32 situations were described and meaningful perspectives were pointed out, highlighting the complexity of Gerontological social work and the importance of an approach that focuses on care and relationships.