Einu į darbą kaip į šventę... Kaip jauni specialistai mato savo darbą teikiant paslaugas senyvo amžiaus žmonėms

LTDaugelyje studijų teigiama, kad darbas senyvo amžiaus asmenų globos sektoriuje matomas kaip nepatrauklus, fiziškai ir psichologiškai sunkus, mažai apmokamas, nesudarantis karjeros galimybių. Dėl minėtų priežasčių retas asmuo renkasi darbą šioje srityje, vis labiau jaučiamas darbo jėgos stygius teikiant paslaugas senyvo amžiaus asmenims. Dar didesnis iššūkis yra pritraukti į šį darbą jaunimą. Straipsnyje analizuojami interviu su jaunais darbuotojais, teikiančiais įvairias socialines paslaugas senyvo amžiaus asmenims, rezultatai, ieškant atsakymų į klausimus, kokiomis savybėmis pasižymintys asmenys ateina čia dirbti, ko jie ieško ir ką šiame darbe atranda. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, kad jauni darbuotojai (tyrimo dalyviai), kalbėdami apie savo darbą, konstruoja prasmingos, įkvepiančios, motyvuojančios veiklos diskursą. Jų konstruojamas senyvo amžiaus žmonių globos darbo paveikslas visiškai priešingas „bjauraus“, „nešvaraus“ darbo sampratai, kuri dažnai matoma viešajame diskurse apibūdinant darbą, dirbamą teikiant paslaugas pagyvenusiems žmonėms. Straipsnyje išryškinami globos darbo ypatumai, kurie traukia jaunus žmones plėtoti savo karjerą būtent šiame sektoriuje. Pozityvios jų patirties pristatymas gali pasitarnauti formuojant teigiamą įvaizdį apie socialinės globos darbą su senyvo amžiaus asmenimis ir tuo paskatinti jaunus žmones susidomėti šia veikla. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: senyvo amžiaus asmenų globos sektorius; jauni darbuotojai; darbo, teikiant socialines paslaugas senyvo amžiaus žmonėmis, ypatumai; asmens ir aplinkos atitikimo prieiga; „nešvaraus“ darbo koncepcija. [Iš leidinio]

ENAlthough care work with elderly people is undervalued in society, and is not seen as matching young people’s career expectations, this article aims to show the advantages of such work. The paper analyses the results of interviews with young people who provide care services directly for the elderly. A number of studies and surveys confirm that working in care for older people is seen as very unattractive, physically and psychologically demanding, badly paid, and lacking in career opportunities. As a result, few people choose to work in this field, and there is a growing labour shortage in the provision of services for older people. Attracting young individuals to the field is an even greater challenge. The aim of this article is to show how young people working in institutions for the care of the elderly perceive and construct positive meanings for their work. The authors seek answers to the questions, what are the personal characteristics of young people who work with the elderly, what are they looking for, and what do they find in this work? The research is based on the qualitative research strategy and the phenomenological approach, which allows us to accept individuals as creators of meaning, and to emphasise the importance of the subjects’ perceptions and their social context. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews: 21 semi-structured interviews were carried out with young workers who provide direct care services for the elderly in different institutions caring for the elderly. The interviews were caried out using teleconferencing platforms such as Zoom, MS Teams and Messenger, or by telephone, between June and September 2021.The selection of informants was based on the following criteria: young workers had to be up to 35 years of age, providing services directly to the elderly in care institutions (retirement homes, day centres, home-help services), and with at least two years’ experience of such work. Ten informants had university degrees, and 11 informants had completed a personal care worker/nursing assistant course. The informants were selected from areas with different levels of urbanisation (from large cities and other regions). The researchers had difficulty finding interviewees of a young age who provide direct services to elderly. Finding male interviewees was particularly difficult. Eleven females and ten males participated in the research. The structure for analysing the interview results was determined by the person-environment fit theory. The results show that interviewees (young people working in the care sector and providing care services directly for the elderly) construct a discourse of meaningful, inspiring and motivating activities when talking about their work. This image of care work presented by young people working in the care sector contrasts with the notion of ‘dirty’ work that is often reflected in the public discourse when describing work in institutions caring for the elderly. The results of the study confirm that individuals emphasise the congruence between their care work and their personal values and experiences, and seek a positive career identity. The results of this study support the findings of other studies that see care work primarily as a relationship. Based on the results of our study of young workers in the sector providing care to the elderly, we can construct a picture of their working life that consists of five spaces where young people entering the care sector can find and make sense of themselves.Young people in the care sector find space for creativity and personal development, space for communication and relationship building, space where they can help others, space to be a hero, and space where exchanges can take place (where they are giving but also receiving). The analysis presented in this article highlights the characteristics of care work that attract young people to pursue careers in this sector. The use of positive experiences can serve to create a more positive image of social care work for older people, and hopefully attract young people to do care work. Keywords: elderly care sector, young workers, peculiarities of care for the elderly, person- environment fit theory, dirty work concept. [From the publication]

• Lūkesčiai dėl globos senatvėje: socialinės paslaugos ir jų organizacinės formos / Laimutė Žalimienė, Jolita Junevičienė, Inga Blažienė, Rasa Miežienė. Vilnius : Lietuvos socialinių tyrimų centras, 2019. 91 p.
• Socialinės sąveikos tarp judėjimo negalią turinčių ir neturinčių visuomenės narių ypatumai / Jolita Viluckienė. Socialinis darbas. Patirtis ir metodai 2014, [Nr.] 13, p. 33-53.