Kalvarijos savivaldybės socialinių paslaugų centro bendradarbiavimas su kaimiškosiomis bendruomenėmis teikiant socialines paslaugas senyvo amžiaus žmonėms
Recenzentas / Rewiewer |
Licencinė sutartis Nr. MRU-EDT-1941.
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As the population ages, the social services system faces new challenges. The increasing demand for social services results in limited accessibility in rural areas. The current scope of services does not always effectively meet the needs of the elderly and requires significant resources and costs. Consequently, international and Lithuanian researchers are seeking solutions to overcome these difficulties. One such solution is inter - institutional collaboration, which is examined at both theoretical and practical levels. This study reveals how the Kalvarija Municipality Social Services Center and rural communities can work together to meet the needs of the elderly more effectively and sustainably. Based on the relevance of the topic and the identified problems, the object of this study is the cooperation between the Kalvarija Municipality Social Services Center and rural communities. The aim of the study is to analyze the potential for collaboration between these entities. To achieve this, the following objectives were set: 1. To analyze the specifics of social service provision in rural areas, identifying the primary needs of elderly individuals and the challenges in meeting them. 2. To reveal the importance of collaboration between social service institutions and rural communities in ensuring high-quality assistance for the elderly. 3. To investigate existing forms of collaboration between the Kalvarija Municipality Social Services Center and rural communities. 4. To identify potential directions for developing collaboration to more effectively address the social service needs of the elderly. To implement these goals, an analysis of scientific literature and a qualitative study were conducted. The qualitative study employed a semi-structured interview method. The collected data were analyzed using content analysis, categorizing the information into main categories and subcategories. This master's thesis consists of an introduction, literature review, methodological justification, presentation and analysis of research results, discussion, conclusions, recommendations, references, and appendices. The study revealed that the physiological, safety, and socio-emotional needs of the elderly in rural areas are not sufficiently met, primarily due to limited access to social services. It was found that current collaboration between the Kalvarija Social Services Center and rural communities occurs through information exchange, joint projects, and socio-cultural activities; however, its full potential is not yet utilized. The study also highlighted opportunities for expanding collaboration. Participants identified key areas for development: clear information dissemination, expansion of volunteer activities, strengthening strategic cooperation, division of functions, increasing professional competencies, improving administrative processes, creating mutual support groups, and organizing inter-institutional meetings. Developing these areas would more effectively address the needs of the elderly, promote personal growth, improve quality of life, and enhance socio-emotional well-being and the social environment.