Behov och riktlinjer : En kvalitativ studie om biståndsbedömning av äldres hemtjänstinsatser

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study was to look into the work of care organizers for elderly care, in three municipalities in southern Sweden, and how they use the law and local guidelines to evaluate the need for home care. The intention was to determine if presence of relatives makes a difference in the needs assessment and if the care organizers practice harmonize with the guidelines. To do this, we did a qualitative study alongside with analyzing each of the local guidelines. By interviewing five care organizers, we were able to see their side of elderly care and how they combine the law and local guidelines in their daily work with elderly care. Our main themes are, in short, the law and local guidelines, the view of care organizing and needs and also closeness to relatives. The theories that have been used are Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucrats and the sociology of law theory. The study shows a difference in the municipalities, in both responsibility and in the layout of the guidelines. To be able to do a correct needs-assessment the care organizers use the law, legal usage and local guidelines.