Klaipėdos universitetas

This article presents findings and discussions generated on the basis of the Danish-Swedish development project CareSam. The article will on the one hand focus on how work in groups consisting of representatives from different levels in the elderly care sector at one time served as learning spaces and cultural encounters in which established notions of older people and elderly care were challenged and discussed. Inspired by action research these challenges were brought forth through discussions of and through insight in practical experiences. On the other hand it will focus on the tendencies to narrow the diversity of perceptions of elderly people and their care, which were also seen in the project and led to stories in which the meaningfulness of care work were honored. Departing from the interviews presented in the CareSam film and parts of the empirical material produced in connection to the work in the project-groups this paper will ask whether it is possible to represent care work for elderly people with all the ambiguities it holds: How can we as researchers represent both meaningfulness and straining dimensions of care work? Can we avoid either supporting Florence Nightingale-ideals or cementing negative cultural perceptions of help-needing elderly and the people who support them in everyday life? In answering these questions and thereby reflecting on our own work process we apply a caring, a learning and a political perspective. Hereby the article wishes to formulate a methodological point: The CareSam cross sector collaboration produced important experience near knowledge, but also lead to present somewhat one-sided understandings of elderly care. Applying theoretical perspectives to analyze the empirical material and the working process, nuances the understanding and makes it possible to maintain immediately conflicting dimensions in this kind of work.

Bibliotherapy is used in children’s day centers in order to provide assistance to children and adolescents from social risk families. There is evidence found in scientific literature that the application of bibliotherapy at day centers is useful for strengthening self-sufficiency, and if applied purposefully, it enables to cope with psychological problems, promotes spiritual growth and qualitative development, raises self-esteem, self-knowledge, understanding, and frees from perceptions that prevents from recognizing personal unpleasant feelings. The professional application of bibliotherapy at day centers, by working with children and adolescents, creates assumptions to strengthen the motivation regarding self-cognition, self-development and learning. The aim of this research is to answer to the question of how bibliotherapy can be applied in social pedagogical activities at children’s day centers (CDC). After a qualitative research had been accomplished (of social educators, parents whose children attend CDC), it was found that the application of bibliotherapy is justified in solving various social-pedagogical problems of children and youth (especially those associated with dealing with motivation problems of adolescent learning).