高齢民生委員が地域に暮らす高齢者を支援する体験

Experiences of Elderly Local Welfare Officers Supporting Elderly

抄録

　本研究の目的は，高齢民生委員が地域に暮らす高齢者を支援する体験を明らかにすることである．

　対象者は，地域に暮らす高齢者を支援した経験がある60歳代後半〜80歳代前半の民生委員で，男性女性各5人の合計10人であった．高齢者支援を通して感じたり考えたりしたことを中心に半構造化面接を行い，質的記述的に分析した．

　その結果，高齢民生委員が地域に暮らす高齢者を支援する体験として，【高齢者の対応で悩む】【高齢者に関わったことで賜物を得る】【経験を基に高齢者の気持ちを推し量る】【高齢である自分の今後を想像する】の4つのカテゴリーが抽出された．

　高齢者を支援する際に，自身の経験を基にして高齢者の気持ちを推し量ることができるのは，高齢民生委員の強みだといえる．その一方で高齢民生委員は，自身の加齢や体力の低下と向き合う体験をしていた．そのため，関係機関は，高齢民生委員の身体面に配慮し支援を行う必要がある．

The purpose of this study was to clarify the experiences of elderly welfare officers supporting elderlies in their communities.

T　he subjects were 10 local welfare officers aged from their late 60s to early 80s, five males and five females each, who had experience supporting elderlies in their communities. Semi-structured interviews focusing on how they felt and thought through their support work were conducted, and data were analyzed qualitatively and descriptively.

　Four categories were extracted from their experience in supporting elderlies in their communities: [being worried about how to respond to elderlies], [gaining benefits from being involved with elderlies], [empathizing with elderlies based on their own experiences], and [imagining their future selves at an older age].

　One of their strengths is that they can empathize with elderlies based on their own experiences when providing support. However, elderly welfare officers face their own issues, such as aging and declining physical strength. Therefore, organizations that support them need to consider their physical circumstances and provide support to them.