Abstract
This paper looks at the possibilities of using biographical research in social work focusing on the elderly. Social work with the elderly uses or should use biographical data to create individual plans for clients or for the purpose of sensory activation. Narrative interviews are a form of interaction between a senior client and a social worker. The social worker supports the senior’s narrative so they can view their life for themselves and explain its meaning from their own perspective. The use of sensory activation in social work is only possible when the individual’s identity is supported by a sufficient amount of environmental stimuli, which can be achieved only by acquiring and analyzing data on the life events of the individual. The paper contains examples of the use of biographical data in social work with the elderly, which is essential for further structuring their lives.
[1] Banks, S. (2006). Ethics and values is social work. Palgrave: Palgrave Macmillan. Search in Google Scholar
[2] Bennett, J. (1983). Human values in oral history. Oral History Review, 11(1), 1–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ohr/11.1.1Search in Google Scholar
[3] Bertaux, D., & Kohli, M. (1984). The life story approach: A continental view. Annual Review of Sociology, 10, 215–237. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.10.080184.001243Search in Google Scholar
[4] Björkenheim, J. (2014). A social work perspective on the biographical research interview with Natalia. Qualitative Sociology Review, 1, 104–115. Search in Google Scholar
[5] Brückner, H., & Mayer, K. (2008). De-standardization of the life course: What it might mean? And if it means anything, whether it actually took place? Yale: Yale University. Search in Google Scholar
[6] Clarke, C. (2007). Professional responsibility, misconduct and practical reason. Ethics and Social Welfare, 1(1), 56–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17496530701237175Search in Google Scholar
[7] Clausen, J. A. (1998). Live reviews and life stories. In J. Z. Giele & G. H. Elder (Eds.), Methods of Life Course Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (pp. 189–212). London: Sage. Search in Google Scholar
[8] Hamplová, D. et al. (2010). Proměny rodinných a profesních startů. Praha: Sociologický ústav Akademie věd České republiky. Search in Google Scholar
[9] Janebová, R. (2006). Sociální problémy z aspektu gender. Hradec Králové: Gaudeamus. Search in Google Scholar
[10] Keller, J. (2007). Sociologie organizace a byrokracie. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství. Search in Google Scholar
[11] Lipsky, M. (1980). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Search in Google Scholar
[12] Matoušek, O. (2007). Základy sociální práce. Praha: Portál. Search in Google Scholar
[13] Musil, L. (2008). Různorodost pojetí, nejasná nabídka a kontrola vykonu „sociální práce“. Sociální práce/Sociálna práca, 8(2), 60–79. Search in Google Scholar
[14] Pacovsky, V. (1994). Geriatrická diagnostika. Praha: Scientia Medica. Search in Google Scholar
[15] Richard, W. (2004). The biographical turn in health studies. In P. Chamberlayne, J. Bornat, & U. Apitzsch (Eds.). Biographical methods and professional practice (pp. 165–180). Bristol: The Policy Press. Search in Google Scholar
[16] Rubilar, G. (2013). Social work research techniques, testimonies, and analysis: A narrative-biographical approach. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 14(2). Search in Google Scholar
[17] Singer, J. A. (2004). Narrative identity and meaning making across the adult lifespan. An Introduction. Journal of Personality, 72, 437–459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00268.xSearch in Google Scholar
[18] Schütze, F. (2008). Biography analysis on the empirical base of autobiographical narratives: How to analyze au tobiographical narrative interviews — Part Two. European Studies on Inequalities and Social Cohesion, 3–4, 5–77. Search in Google Scholar
[19] Specht-Tomann, M. (2012). Biografiearbeit. Berlin & Heidelberg: Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29989-6Search in Google Scholar
[20] Šanderová, J., & Šmídová, O. (2009). Sociální konstrukce nerovností pod kvalitativní lupou. Praha: Sociologické nakladatelství Search in Google Scholar
[21] Šťastná, A. (2011). Analýza historie událostí (event history analýza) — moŽnosti a základní principy při studiu Životních drah. Praha: Data a vyzkum. Search in Google Scholar
[22] Vojtová, H. (2014). Smyslová aktivizace v české praxi. Prachatice: Institut vzdělávání. Search in Google Scholar
[23] Wilson, K. et al. (2011). Social work. An introduction to contemporary practice. Harlow: Pearson Education. Search in Google Scholar
© 2014 Institute for Research in Social Communication, Slovak Academy of Sciences
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
