Holistic Care of the Oncologically Ill Senior Citizen and His Family – a Space for Social Work

The epidemiology of cancer leaves no illusions that the coming decades we will see a further increase in the incidence of cancer and that, due to the aging of the population, the population of seniors with oncological diseases will expand rapidly. It is in the over-60s that approximately 70% of cancers are diagnosed. Responding to the unique needs of oncology patients in late adulthood and their families requires an efficient, holistic support system. In addition to medical staff, professionals prepared to provide comprehensive non-medical support play an essential role. For many people, not only single people but entire families, the social worker is an indispensable source of multifaceted support in illness. The research aimed to discern what activities are carried out in social work practice with oncological patients. The study used an in-depth interview with 20 social workers in the Silesian Voivodeship. The data collected allows us to describe the psychosocial, environmental and functional interventions social workers carry out to support people undergoing cancer treatment. Seniors are an important group among them. Undertaken in the residential environment, at different stages of the disease trajectory and life cycle, they show the resources of social work in realizing a holistic model of support for the patient and his/her family.