Necesidad y funciones del profesional de la educación social en los centros sociales de personas mayores. Una figura tan importante como ignorada

Resum

This research has as a central axis of analysis a social reality contextualized in the field concerned with the Elderly, over 65 years, who attend to Third Age Centres in the Region of Murcia. At the same time, it reappraises the figure of Community or Social workers, making visible a neglected profession today, since it is not recognized yet officially by the Regional Administration, as well as in most of the municipalities of the Region of Murcia and other regions of the Spanish territory, in the scope of elderly population. This is intended to, on the one hand, to set or fix the functions of the Community Worker in Third Age Centres and, on the other hand, to highlight the urgent need in such institutions, forming part of the multidisciplinary equipment, to achieve a quality, comprehensive care to people who exceed the 65 year-old collective that represents new challenges due to the current heterogeneity that characterizes them, away from less active profiles derived from the lower life expectancy of people over 65 years old. Due to the object of study and the participants of the same (a total of 112 distributed among 69 seniors, 21 teachers and social educators, 16 workers of centres of major and 6 professional associations), it is necessary to cover the peculiarities and specific features, so complementary methodology is employed, having the possibility to enrich the knowledge of reality by combining the results of the qualitative method to the quantitative results; using qualitative techniques, such as the discussion groups and interviews, providing descriptive data of great value through interpretations of the reality of the actors themselves (people's own words, expressions and observable behaviour), allowing it to have a greater understanding of the world that surrounds them through their own voices, the voices of the protagonists. In the same research context, also using quantitative techniques, it is proposed the method of survey questionnaire as instrument, which allows to measure and analyse data, and can be more objective in relation to the findings of the research. These methods are employed in such a way that seeks the best way to get a better understanding, adapting the tools to each intervening agent and each group of agents, to avoid establishing an immovable and exclusive approach of the other proposed approach. From data analysis becomes deduced the necessity to include the Community Worker in the field of the Elderly, by their impact on active ageing, the quality of life, lifelong learning and helping them with a positive approach to their retirement. Also with Social Workers’ implication in the older people social contribution and participation in their community, how closeness between generations and solidarity is possible. In short, the transformation of Third Age centres and its users through the socio-educational component that characterizes the Social Worker. Concluding, functions and competences of the Community Workers are necessary in Third Age centres. They are dedicated to the care of older population and, as this research shows, they are as important as an ignored figure, the title of this investigation prays. Social Workers lay out such numerous questions as encourage many possibilities in the field of the Elderly. This profession needs to be discovered in its entirety and, to this end, recognized (under his own name), evaluation and inclusion in these Third Age institutions as the very first essential preliminary step