Socionomstudenters föreställningar om socialt arbete med äldre

Authors: Linnéa Höök and Joanna Jörnbratt Titel: Social work students perceptions of social work with elderly Supervisor: Tove Harnett Examinator: Hans-Edvard Roos It may not come as a surprise that the field social work with elderly attracts relatively few. The question is why. This study aims to create an understanding of possible factors as to why social work with elderly is seen as an unattractive field, and to systematically identify, analyze and discuss social work students perceptions of social work with elderly to the concept of Ageism. An increased awareness of “negative perceptions due to age” can be an important part of understanding the lack of interest for social work with elderly among the students. A questionnaire was handed out to social work students (N= 756) at Lunds Universitet, Campus Helsingborg and Malmö Högskola to examine interest for and perceptions among the students toward working with elderly. The empirical material of social work students perceptions (N=756) of social work with elderly provides a picture of a field with good opportunities for both work (75%) and career (65 %), work that supply great personal development (67 %) and also a field of work where you receive plenty of gratitude from clients (86 %). The students conceptions also reveal a field that involves high mental workload (62 %), an unsatisfying salary (68 %) and low status (62 %). Differences between students with and without interest for social work with elderly are evident in the students perceptions toward elderly as clientele and the view of work assignments as varied