People are, apart from biological and psychological, also social beings, so they can hardly live just on their own. Loneliness in later life is connected with loss of people, that are close to them and so their social network(s) usually gets smaller. The purpose of my graduation Thesis is to examine, how loneliness is seen at older people, living in institutional care, how is understanding of loneliness among older people seen by social workers, employed in homes for older people, which methods of social work do social workers and others use in the process of help to prevent and overcome loneliness among older people, how other employes in home for older people are noticing and dealing with loneliness, which appers among older people in home for older people, what older people can do themselves to prevent to feeling lonely and which are options to choose from, when loneliness appears. My research is qualitative, for which I choose to collect data with half structured interviews. I did my interviews with social workers, employed in homes for older people in Slovenia. With my graduation thesis, I acknowledge that getting away from social interaction is the main symbol, that shows loneliness. Loneliness usually appears after health problem(s) and/or when social network(s) is getting smaller. That can lead older people to social and health isolation. When health status of older person is getting worse, older people normally find it more difficult to get into interactions with others, it also takes more energy to do that. Apart from this, older people can also lose people from their social network(s), for example, because of death(s) of their friends, or partner. The main step towards overcoming loneliness among older people by employes, specially social workers, is to talk with them. Older people are welcomed into institutional activities, but there is really important their selfiniciative, will to participate in those activities. The main advance of living in institutional care is plenty of chances for socialising inside institution with other older people, which can be crucial at lowering loneliness. Important part at recognizing loneliness is led by social workers, other employes, relatives, and also volunteers. But it is important to adress, that volunteers are only included in case older people want them to be added. My suggestion is to raise norms for the number of employed social workers in homes for older people. I would also like to suggest more self-help groups, which would be organized more frequently. At last, I suggest to carry out a survey about loneliness among older people in homes for older people once a month.
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