Lived experiences of Filipino social workers serving older adults

Geriatric social work is a field that provides care and interventions for older adults. As the population of this sector increases, there is a significant demand for social workers to engage in this setting. This study describes the experiences of Filipino social workers who handle older adults in various residential institutions. It employed a Descriptive Phenomenologically informed approach and conducted interviews with 10 purposively selected participants. Manual conduct of thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework was used to process and interpret the participants’ narratives and statements. The findings highlight key themes that relate to five C’s, namely: communication, collaboration, consciousness, connection, and capability-building. This study informs social workers, students, educators, welfare institutions, and allied professionals in designing evidence-informed curricula, field practice strategies, and capacity-building initiatives for enhanced delivery of quality care to older adults.