Dementia is a rapidly growing challenge in today's world and the main reason for dependence on the help of others among the older population. Social work plays an important role in researching and understanding the needs of people with dementia and their loved ones. In my master's thesis, I explored three main research questions: the needs of people with dementia, the needs of relatives of people with dementia, and communication with people with dementia in the municipality of Žalec. As a member of this community, I am interested in how care for people with dementia is developed in the Žalec municipality. The theoretical part of my thesis presents an overview of dementia, types of dementia, long-term care development, needs of people in long-term care, the contribution of social work to help people with dementia and their relatives, and the tasks of social workers when working with people with dementia and their relatives. In the final part, I described the needs of people with dementia and their relatives as well as communication with people with dementia. For qualitative research, I used the interviewing method and focus group method. Sixteen people from ten organizations working in the field of long-term care for people with dementia in the Žalec municipality participated in the focus group. The focus was on the specific needs of people with dementia and communication with people with dementia. In addition to the focus group, I conducted nine partially structured interviews. Four interviews were conducted with employees in the field of caring for people with dementia, three interviews were conducted with relatives of people with dementia, and two interviews were conducted with people with dementia. The interview topics focused on the needs of people with dementia, the needs of relatives of people with dementia, and communication with people with dementia. I found that people with dementia and their relatives have many needs. The most frequently mentioned need was for additional services in the home environment and an increase in the scope of services. Most people with dementia require 24-hour assistance, which includes the need for a home-like atmosphere, socializing, understanding, proximity, shelter, independence, and safety. Relatives need guidance and information about dementia itself and finding appropriate help for a person with dementia. They are often overwhelmed, and in addition to caring for the person, they often have financial difficulties due to the cost of care. I found that people with dementia have a strong desire to communicate. We must pay attention to verbal and nonverbal communication, and important virtues in this regard are empathy, tolerance, kindness, calmness, and relaxation.
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