The Role of Social Work Services in Improving the Living Standards of the Elderly in Kuwait an Empirical Study

Author: Al-Dhafiri, Abdulwahab Mohammad

Source: Education, Volume 135, Number 2, Winter 2014, pp. 177-196(20)

Publisher: Project Innovation

Abstract: BACKGROUND: To what extent is there a significant difference between the elderly's demographic data and their attitudes toward the role of social welfare services in improving their lives?

Employed Method: This study used a descriptive method to investigate the activities/services and programs provided by social care homes for the elderly, both internally and externally, and the role these homes play in improving the quality of life of their elderly residents.

METHODS: Study Sample: The study sample was chosen deliberately, and 43 elderly people participated, representing 67% of the 64 elderly people residing in the seniors' home. Some of the seniors in the home refused to cooperate with researchers, and some had health conditions that prevented them from participating in the research.

Although many studies have investigated elderly care, the current study is among the few to stress the role of social care services in improving the quality of life of the elderly. Thus, this paper considers a critical but relatively unexamined modern trend in elderly care.

RESULTS: Study results: This study analyzed the care that social welfare services provide for the elderly and the role of that care in improving elderly people's views toward life. Elderly people's views were measured by the Likert scale, and we used arithmetic means and standard deviations, or the existence of significant differences between responses, to analyze the data. The group of statements that reflect the elderly's attitudes toward social care services and the role of those services in improving the elderly's quality of life were established using analysis of variance and can be summarized as follows:

The number of elderly residents in the home, which does not exceed 64, contributes to their high quality of life and has a positive influence on their attitudes toward the social care services provided to them, reflecting a commonly held view among the elderly in Kuwait. In turn, these positive attitudes improve the quality of life of elderly people. In contrast, elderly people living with their families in Egyptian society reported positive attitudes toward social care but negative attitudes toward receiving social care away from their families.

CONCLUSION: The difference between the level of social welfare services for the elderly in Egyptian and Kuwaiti societies may be due to the supporting role of the Kuwaiti Government; for example, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs provides welfare services for the elderly residing in nursing homes as well as the elderly living with their families through mobile campaigns.

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