Strengths-Based Social Work: Proposing Protective and Engagement Practice with Older Adults

Abstract

This article proposes Strengths-Based Protective (SB-P) and Strengths-Based Engagement (SB-E) social work practice model with older adults with particular reference to living in older care homes. Strengths-based social work practice emerged as an alternative paradigm in social work practice based on the philosophy of individual's strength as the vital tool for helping them to overcome psychosocial problems (Salleeby, 1996). Strengths perspective focuses the individual's inherent abilities and resources that allow them to cope effectively with the challenges of living (Rothman, 1994). The strengths perspective is especially pertinent in work with older adults since they have lifetime rich experience which could be addressed for overcoming many of the current difficulties (Kaplan & Berkman, 2016). However, inapplicability strengths-based social work practice not much widely used in social work practice owing to the presumption that high skill is required for carrying out it in general social work practice context. In this regard, this paper is trying to elicit applicability and friendliness to use strengths-based social work practice in older care home setting through the proposed models (SB-P and SB-E).