| خلاصه مقاله | Social care for older people will be increasingly important as our population ages. Although social welfare and care have been mentioned in the definition of health, unfortunately, there is no effective and specialized approach in this regard (1). Many older people need social care, which would benefit their quality of life, but do not have medical or nursing needs. An absence of medical treatment can cause preventable pressure on social services, just as inadequate social care can lead to preventable pressure on medical care (2). Social care encompasses personal care such as washing and dressing, practical assistance with the preparation of meals and house cleaning, and opportunities for socializing and leisure activity. The extent to which any person needs help with these activities of daily living depends on their level of disability or mental health problems, and the environment in which they live. The term ‘social care’ is used to distinguish this type of assistance from medical or nursing care, although the distinction is not always helpful when considering the total care needs of an older person, nor necessarily evident in the care systems of some countries.(3) All countries have a strong policy emphasis on care in the community and avoiding institutionalization (4). In Iran, the family has principal responsibility for looking after their older adults as the first level of care provider. The most part of this obligation has been imposed on their female including wife and daughters. Unfortunately, there is not any system, which accompany families in performing this crucial responsibility. Thus, the majority of families have exposed to caregiver burden. As a result, families will encounter with different kinds of health implications and financial difficulties. These problems would be sever if the families take care of an older adult with dementia disease or with physical disabilities. Of course, we are far away from standards that other country consider for home care and day care centers. In fact, we should improve the methods of providing social care services for older people based on our culture and economic status (1).
We cannot keep ignoring the crisis in social care! |