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  3. ‘Call me if you need’: Social support experiences under economic and social change

‘Call me if you need’: Social support experiences under economic and social change

Social interactions play an important role in people’s life and people’s health but their scope and intensity tend to decrease with age, challenging social support dynamics and increasing the risk of social isolation and helplessness. In Portugal, policymakers still seem to rely on traditional social relations in eldercare, while contextual changes and trends are redefining family roles and behaviors and defying the established social support structure. In this work, we aim to examine the scope, structure and experiences of the informal social support network available in the country for stroke patients 6 months after their discharge from the acute care unit in the context of a larger study. The results seem to confirm the importance of family as a source of social support and shed light on different bonding experiences with non-kin social groups, such as neighbors and friends. A coordinated care provision, combining formal and informal support is vital and beneficial for patients, their caregivers and the care system.

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Key Information

Type of Reference
Jour
Type of Work
Journal article
Publisher
Informa UK ltd
ISBN/ISSN
00981389
Publication Year
2018
Issue Number
9
Journal Titles
Social Work in Health Care
Volume Number
57
Start Page
794
End Page
810