Självbestämmanderätt kontra trygghet - en kvalitativ analys gällande beslutsfattande för vård och omsorgsboende för äldre med demenssjukdom utifrån biståndshandläggarnas perspektiv

Abstract

This thesis concerns social workers decision-making regarding nursing homes for elderly caretakers with dementia, and dealing with the ethical dilemma that occurs when trying to combine the elderlies right to self-determination and their safety. The objective of this thesis is to gain a greater insight on how social workers proceed with the decision-making of nursing homes for elderly caretakers with dementia. The authors of this thesis have chosen a qualitative method and conducted interviews with social workers working with elderlies. The analysis shows that social workers have difficulty in trying to combine the elderly with dementias rights regarding their right to autonomy as well as their right to safety. Social workers have adapted different strategies to ensure the elderlies rights with the help of relatives, as well as motivational work to try to convince the elderlies with dementia to consent to a nursing home. Furthermore the analysis shows that a lack of guidelines for the social workers to follow leaves room for indirect authorship for social workers, as well as difficulty trying to navigate their work, which causes informal support groups to form in the workplace. The analysis also shows that social workers have different ethical principles that they base their decision making on, however that they do not always act on these basis.