This master’s thesis explores the role of social work in old people's homes as an example of an interdisciplinary working environment. In the theoretical part, long-term care and related legislative regulation are presented. We also presented institutional care of older people, models of institutional guidelines and integrated care. The main focus is the introduction of interdisciplinary work and social work, with a particular emphasis on social work in old people's homes. The main goal was to research the role of social work in the interdisciplinary working environment, such as an old people's home. Social workers form different old people's homes took part in the research. We researched whether Slovenian old people's homes have an established interdisciplinary working environment, what are the tasks of social workers in the interdisciplinary working environment, what is the meaning of social work in an interdisciplinary working environment, how do social workers ensure that the importance of the inclusion of social work in an interdisciplinary working environment is recognized, and what are the perceived advantages and disadvantages of social workers while working in an interdisciplinary working environment. The results that we obtained through qualitative research, which included partly structured interviews with social workers, show that social workers mostly perceive interdisciplinary working environment as a way of organising work. The research also showed that retirement homes have an established interdisciplinary working environment, which is supported and facilitated by the management. Social workers face many roles and tasks in their work. They are usually the ones that know the residents of the retirement home best and they are committed to making their voices heard and to preserving and ensuring their autonomy. The research also showed that the medical model still prevails, or that the social workers feel that the medical model predominates and consequently has more power. Social workers represent social work in the interdisciplinary working environment in a variety of ways, but mostly by using the holistic approach. The individual treatment planning method and advocacy method are the two most used approaches among social workers. The main disadvantage of the interdisciplinary working environment as seen by social workers is the predominance of the medical profession, which leads to disagreements, competitiveness among the professions, and the constant exposure of other professions. Social workers see many advantages in the interdisciplinary environment, especially in terms of collaboration, which enables different professions to complement each other. Another advantage is that each member or each discipline in the interdisciplinary working environment contributes its own views, perspectives and opinions on a given situation, which helps create a broader picture of the situation. I would suggest a greater emphasis on interdisciplinary work in old people's homes. I would also suggest to increase the number of employed social workers in old people's homes, as this would lead to more equality among professions, while at the same time highlighting the importance of social support in old people's homes. Social workers in old people's homes are crucial because of their specific skills and knowledge to work with old people. Since social work itself is interdisciplinary, social workers are also important members of interdisciplinary working environments.
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