Social work

• Older Persons


  People between sixty and above, with those sixty to eighty being considered "young old" and those eighty and above being the "older old"
• In 2019, there were 703 million persons aged 65 or over in the world, projected to double to 1.5 billion by 2050, of which 20% will be aged 80 years or over
• The age composition of the population is transitioning to an older structure in all regions of the world, much of the growth of the older population will take place in the less developed regions; older persons will outnumber children by mid-century; the older population will remain predominantly female despite gains in old age survival among men
• Presently, life expectancy at birth is 78 years in the more developed regions and 67 years in the less developed regions
• The United Nation General Assembly declared 2021 – 2030 the Decade of Healthy Ageing which supports the realization of the United Nations Agenda in 2030 on Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals
• The "Decade" seeks to reduce health inequities and improve the lives of the older people, their families and communities through collective action in four areas: changing how we think, feel and act towards age and ageism; developing communities in ways that foster the abilities of the older person; delivering person-centered integrated care and primary health services responsive to older people and providing older people who need it with across to quality long-term care
• As of 2015, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that there were 7,548,769 "elderly" of 100,981,437 Filipinos
• The rapidly increasing number of Filipino senior citizens is attributed to its declining fertility rate and increasing life expectancy and the density of Filipinos that are in the age of 60s is one of the largest in the Asian Pacific, Region Population Reference Bureau
• Social services to older persons was not a priority concern in the country, perhaps because of the long prevailing belief that the culture provides a built-in insurance for this particular sector, that children will look after their parents' needs in their old age
• There have been unclear indications that values are changing rapidly because of social forces like urbanization, industrialization, and migration; and the children cannot anymore be expected to assume responsibility for their parents' care when they get older
• This is reflected not only in the number of aged mendicants in urban areas, abandoned elderly patients in government hospitals charity wards, and abandoned/neglected clients in national and local social welfare institutions for older persons, but also in the conditions of many older persons who are living with their own children, particularly when the latter are themselves poor
• Laws passed in the last three decades to protect the elderly in the Philippines and promote their welfare


  • Republic Act (RA) 7432, or the "Senior Citizens Act of 1991"
  • RA 9257, otherwise known as the "Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2003"
  • RA 9994, or the "Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010"
• The 1987 Philippine Constitution, Article XV, Section 4 on the Filipino Family mandates that it is the duty of the family to take care of its older person members, while the State may design programs of social security for them
• The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is the lead agency in promoting the welfare of senior citizens and has developed a comprehensive Long Term Care Program for Senior Citizens (LTCPSC)
• Target clientele of the DSWD's LTCPSC

  • Poor senior citizens who are deprived of or lack the essentials for a minimum standard of well-being
  • Senior citizens who are victims of natural and man-made disasters
  • Senior citizens who are abandoned, neglected, and or victims of physical, mental, psychological, sexual, verbal, economic abuse
  • Frail/disabled/demented senior citizens in need of palliative care who are totally dependent on others for their Activity of Daily Living (ADL)
  • Senior citizens in residential care centers, temporary shelters, whether run by government, NGOs or LGUs
• Local government units designate the Provincial / City / Municipal Social Welfare Development Office to take the lead in the overall implementation of the LTCPSC
• Social workers are the professionals engaged in both administrative and case management functions in the DSWD's programs for the elderly
• Case Management is done in both center-based services (residential care centers) and community-based services
• In addition to the comprehensive programs and services of the DSWD, there has been an increasing number of "care homes, home for the aged, elder care residences" and similar facilities, privately run, which employ social workers usually in the management positions
• The social worker must respect the client's right to make decisions based on their own values and preferences.
• Social workers can also assist individuals with disabilities by providing them with information about available services and helping them navigate the system.
• The social worker's role is to facilitate the client's decision-making process by providing information about available options and helping them weigh the pros and cons of each option.
• The social worker's role is to advocate on behalf of clients and ensure that their rights are protected.
• Social workers are trained to be sensitive to the needs of others, including those who may not have access to resources or opportunities.
• Social workers are trained to be aware of their own values, beliefs, attitudes, prejudices, and feelings.
• Ethical social work practice involves advocating for social justice, challenging discrimination, and promoting the well-being of individuals and communities.
• Social workers must maintain professional boundaries with clients to ensure that the relationship remains focused on the client's needs and goals, avoiding conflicts of interest or dual relationships.
• Confidentiality is a key ethical principle in social work, ensuring that information shared by clients is kept private and only disclosed with consent or when required by law.
• The social worker must ensure that clients receive appropriate information about available options so they can make informed choices.
• The social worker must be aware of any conflicts between the client's wishes and those of other parties involved in the decision making process.
• Social workers may advocate for policy changes that address issues affecting people with disabilities at local or national levels.
• The social worker must consider the impact of the client's decisions on themselves and others affected by them.
• Social workers can collaborate with healthcare providers to ensure that patients receive appropriate medical treatment and support.
• Social workers can also advocate for policies that promote disability rights and accessibility.
• Social workers can facilitate communication between family members and healthcare providers to improve understanding and decision making.
• Social workers can provide emotional support and counseling to individuals coping with chronic illnesses.
• Social workers must prioritize the best interests of their clients when faced with competing demands from different stakeholders.
• Social workers can educate clients about their condition and available resources to manage it effectively.
• Indigenous Cultural Communities / Indigenous People


  Groups of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription by others
• Indigenous Cultural Communities / Indigenous People


  • Have continuously lived as an organized community communally abounded and defined territory
  • Have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed, and utilized such territory
  • Share common bonds of language, customs, traditions, and other distinctive cultural traits
  • Through resistance to political, social, and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions, and cultures, become historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos
  • Retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural, and political institutions
  • May have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains