A Study on Social Work Case Interventions for the Diverse Elderly Care Needs of Families Who Have Lost Their Only Child

Based on Field Research in J City

Abstract

In the context of population aging and declining birth rates, families who have lost their only child face severe challenges in elderly care due to the weakening of the traditional family support function. This study focuses on 12 such families in Z Community, J City, employing qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and participatory observation, and is grounded in family systems theory and social support theory to systematically examine their elderly care difficulties and core needs. The study finds that families who have lost their only child in Z Community generally face five interrelated difficulties: persistent psychological trauma manifested as emotional freezing and social withdrawal; insufficient economic security caused by sharply reduced income and anxiety about the future; lack of daily care reflected in the everyday problem of 'no one knows if I fall ill'; weak medical and health support shown in the absence of hospital accompaniment and neglect of health management; and difficulties in social integration represented by a vicious cycle of proactive withdrawal and passive marginalization. These difficulties create overlapping effects through the chain of family system imbalance—disrupted social support—dissolution of personal meaning. Based on this, the study constructs a precise elderly care support system: at the individual level, narrative therapy is used to assist in reconstructing life meaning; at the family level, emotional connections are restored through a family contact system; at the community level, day care services and volunteer assistance are linked to fill care gaps; and at the policy level, assistance is provided to connect exclusive policies and promote the incorporation of psychological care into routine support. The study indicates that accurately responding to the diverse elderly care needs of families who have lost their only child requires integrating individual, family, community, and policy forces to form a systematic support mechanism. This research can provide references for optimizing elderly care services in urban communities for such families and for social work practice.