Presentation

How do sustainable support relationships develop between elderly people seeking help and volunteers and why do they so often reach their limits?

The presentation focuses on care arrangements mediated by organised neighbourhood help in social spaces. Help is understood here primarily as a complex negotiation process, characterised by structural-spatial conditions, biographical-normative experiences and socio-political influences. Methodologically, the study is based on a reconstructive research design that combines help couple interviews as triadic conversation formats with contrasting ethnographic observations and analyses them in accordance with grounded theory. Based on a number of empirical insights, the presentation will illustrate the potential that lies in the support relationships - for example for participation, recognition and community practice - and where their limits become visible at the same time. It will also discuss the role of social work in professionally shaping these areas of tension and enabling sustainable support.

The presentation will provide insights into the presenter's published dissertation entitled "Sorgearbeit im Sozialraum. Educational potential in voluntary help for older people", which was completed last year in the Department of Social Work at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and at the Hessian Doctoral Research Centre for Social Work. The topic also raises interdisciplinary issues, including public health, social policy and social sciences, particularly in the context of sustainable care and support structures.

The Bachelor's programme is open to the public and attendance is free of charge. Students and the interested professional public are welcome to attend.