This master’s thesis examines how long-term care users and their relatives experience dignity during the assessment procedure for eligibility for long-term care. It focuses on the relationship between the systemic logic, which translates a person’s needs into criteria, assessments, categories and an administrative decision, and the user’s lifeworld, in which assistance, independence, the body, home, relationships and a sense of safety are interconnected. The purpose of the research was to explore how users and their relatives experience the procedure, what preserves or diminishes their sense of dignity, and what significance communication, the support network and the eligibility decision have for everyday life. The theoretical introduction addresses ageing, long-term care, the Slovenian regulatory framework, eligibility assessment, the role of social work, and the concepts of dignity, vulnerability and the ethics of care. The research is qualitative, empirical, exploratory and applied, with a narrative orientation. A non-probability, purposive and convenience sample was used. Seven people participated: three long-term care users aged 65 or over and four relatives. Data were collected through semi-structured narrative interviews and analysed using open and axial coding. The findings show that entering the procedure is usually not prompted by a single difficulty, but by the gradual accumulation of changes in everyday life, reduced independence, an increasing need for assistance, safety concerns and the growing burden on relatives. The first contact with the entry point significantly shapes the experience of the procedure. Clear and respectful communication reduces uncertainty, while incomprehensible language and unclear next steps increase the sense of distance from the system. The assessment of everyday needs is necessary but sensitive, as questions about personal care, mobility, household tasks and safety concern the body, privacy and the loss of independence. Dignity is preserved when the user is addressed directly, heard and included in the conversation, understands the purpose of the questions and can describe their situation in their own words. It is diminished when others speak mainly about the user rather than with them, or when the user’s life situation is presented primarily in terms of deficits. Relatives play an important role in submitting applications, explaining information, supplementing the user’s account, communicating with professional services and organising assistance. Their presence can strengthen the user’s voice, but it should not replace it. The research also draws attention to people without a reliable support network. An administrative decision gains practical meaning only when it is clearly explained what assistance has been granted, who will provide it and what it will mean for life at home. The eligibility assessment procedure is therefore not merely a technical assessment of functional capacities, but also a relational and ethical experience. Social work can contribute to a dignified procedure through understandable language, sensitive facilitation of the conversation, protection of the user’s voice, recognition of the burden placed on relatives, and the connection of formally recognised rights with feasible assistance in the person’s actual living environment.
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