Sorgende Kommunen und Lokale Verantwortungsgemeinschaften

Exploring mutual support awareness in Japanese communities: A pilot study

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to examine life situations and perceptions related to the recognition of mutual support among Japanese people.

DESIGN

A quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional analysis.

SAMPLE

Nine hundred and nine participants who provided complete questionnaire responses.

MEASUREMENTS

As a disaster prevention measure, a community center conducted a "questionnaire survey evaluating the recognition of mutual support and several potentially related factors". In our study, these data from a self-administered questionnaire were used secondarily.

RESULTS

The perceptions that differed with regard to the sense of mutual support included family structure; satisfaction with support, security, and disaster prevention in the district; being able to ask for help with shopping; closeness of the relationship with one's neighbors; seeing oneself as providing or needing protection; and recognition of existing worries regarding evacuation. In a logistic regression model, the factors predicting the sense of mutual support included being younger than 70 years, being able to ask for help with shopping, and the closeness of the association with one's neighbors.

CONCLUSIONS

The study identified situations that might predict the sense of mutual support in individuals in Japanese communities.

[Health care and care for the elderly in the future : Insights from the corona pandemic]

Gesundheitsversorgung und die Pflege alter Menschen sind durch die Corona-Pandemie massiv unter Druck geraten. Dabei zeigen sich strukturelle Defizite und Schwachstellen, die nicht wirklich neu sind, durch Covid-19 aber wieder ins Blickfeld rücken und an Aktualität gewinnen. Im Versorgungssystem stellen sich angesichts der aktuellen Herausforderungen neue Fragen und in der Sicherung der Pflege alter Menschen werden Lücken und Herausforderungen sichtbar – teilweise spezifisch auf einen Bereich bezogen, zum größeren Teil aber sektorenübergreifend.

Auf der Basis nationaler und internationaler einschlägiger Studien und Veröffentlichungen und explizit aus der Perspektive der Sozialen Gerontologie wird in diesem Beitrag schwerpunktmäßig auf die aktuelle Situation in der Pflege in Deutschland in Zeiten des SARS-CoV-2-Virus fokussiert. Aus dieser Situationsanalyse werden mögliche Denkanstöße abgeleitet und es wird skizziert, wie eine Neuorientierung mit Blick in die Zukunft aussehen und welcher mögliche Erkenntnisgewinn aus der Corona-Pandemie gezogen werden kann.

[Educational gerontology and social work]

Educational gerontology has become established over the past 40 years in a multifaceted, differentiated practice which, against the background of social change processes, combined with the phenomena of demographic change, takes up and creates room for accompanying irritations, learning requirements and opportunities. A corresponding theoretical foundation exists in the scientific discipline of geragogy, which is located at the interfaces between gerontology, educational science and social work. The close proximity between education of and social work with the elderly is meanwhile also evident in many recent research and development projects, in which theory formation for geragogy and social work as scientific disciplines take place at the same time. Against this background, the core developmental lines of geragogy are briefly sketched in this article and linked with the exemplary scientific discourse within gerontology and social work sciences. The result is a form of synthesis of central theoretical premises of social gerontology in the field of educational gerontology. This claim becomes more concrete by a recourse to the results of relevant research and development projects, which refer to different facets of educational work in different gerontological fields or as a conscious approach to methodological integration, also in the sense of participatory procedures. Theoretical and didactic approaches to educational gerontology are of increasing importance in terms of enabling integration and participation and also in the context of research and development projects. This also involves participation of the elderly as experts in their own field as well as participatory procedures and approaches. Willingness to learn and openness to educational approaches will also be the basic prerequisites for older people in the future, creating orientation in a rapidly changing world and social participation. One important task for educational gerontology in this context is to reach and to involve older people who are not very well educated and to open them up to the necessary room for social integration and participation. Methods of social work can therefore be very helpful.

[Assistance, nursing and participation in old age : Future of domestic care in cases of care dependency]

The future development of home care services for older people in need of care is associated with great challenges. This article begins with a brief summary of the most urgent care problems from the perspective of people requiring care and that of caring relatives. The problems exhibit social and spatial inequalities and are characterized by coordination problems within a fragmented organizational system. Calls for a viable "care mix" are nothing new but have recently gained considerable traction under the label of "caring communities". This model is prioritized by the German government and addressed in its Seventh Report on Older People (Altenbericht). It seeks to assign neighbors and unpaid volunteers a more central role in the provision of care and assistance. In relation to "caring communities" a differentiation between cure and care is also proposed. The article discusses this model and the assumptions about the potential of neighborhood and civic engagement upon which it is based, and analyzes its impact on the nursing profession. It concludes with a critical discussion of the model's prospects of contributing to a resolution of the outlined problems.

[Family companions. New facets in accompanying relatives caring for people with dementia]

BACKGROUND

Support and relief options in the context of homecare settings where people with dementia are cared for by friends or relatives have become highly differentiated; however, there are significant shortcomings in networking between the various types of offers within the context of mixed care (Pflegemix). Family caregivers often feel overwhelmed and find it difficult to identify and utilize the appropriate forms and services for their individual situation. Against this background companion models seem to be an appropriate solution to provide psychosocial support for caring families and to function in the role of bridge building in the assistance system.

AIM

Within the framework of the Future Workshop Dementia (Zukunftswerkstatt Demenz) program funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health during the time period 2012-2015, the new intervention was developed in the family companion for dementia in rural areas (FABEL) project carried out by volunteers. These volunteers take up the needs of caring families for a low-threshold support structure and promote networking among the various groups of participants in individual homecare settings. The preparatory training for the volunteers, which is the focus of this article, provides special knowledge about dementia and the basic principles of systemic understanding of the typical dynamics in caring families.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In the model phase the newly developed training program was aimed at qualified volunteers trained in the logistics of the model project Care Companion (Pflegebegleitung), which was successfully established from 2003 to 2008 in more than 100 pilot locations throughout Germany and is now integrated into the healthcare system. This proven model is linked to the new qualification and consists of 68 units involving thematic modules of knowledge about dementia and systemic solution-oriented thinking, for networking and the development of an understanding of the personal role.

RESULTS

During the 3-year project period 27 volunteers became qualified and accompanied at least 73 families in rural areas, which was the special focus of the model project. The developed qualification enabled the volunteers to carry out the activities in a very relationship-oriented way and in a direct form of communication with the family carers and also to encourage self-care activities. This led to a significant improvement in the health-related quality of life (QoL) of family carers and stabilized the homecare setting. As part of a health economic model calculation on the effects of the new approach, the pecuniary gains outweighed the costs caused by the qualification.

DISCUSSION

The concept of family companions (Familienbegleiter) has proven to be a cost-covering model of an effective intervention based on the needs of caring families, which should become more widespread in the future.