Browsing by Author "Dias, Sofia Fontoura"
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- Eyes on the pandemic: using photovoice in group and remotely with social professionals of aged care facilitiesPublication . Araújo, Lia; Dias, Sofia Fontoura; Marques, Carolinne; Cid-Fernandez, Xosé; Sousa, LilianaThe COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on aged care services. In Portugal, social workers are key frontline professionals in aged care services. A photovoice program called “Eyes on the Pandemic” was carried out to capture the internal experiences of frontline social workers working in aged care services during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photovoice is a qualitative, participatory action-research method in which participants share key experiences of their lives through photographs and narratives (voices) presented and discussed with others. Thirteen social workers between 24 and 41 years old participated. This article describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of this project. The findings suggest that the social workers’ experiences were defined by a reinvention of intervention, the maintenance of a balance between personal and professional life, the crucial importance of teamwork, management of the pandemic repercussions on older people’s well-being, and encounters with the uncertain future. The results illuminate the lived experience of the COVID- 19 pandemic inside aged care facilities and could inform practices and policies by consolidating lessons learned during this difficult period. The benefits of attending the program referred by the participants, lead to conclude that photovoice proved to be a good group intervention tool.
- Gerontological social workers’ perspectives about the future at the start of a COVID-19 vaccination program: A photovoice studyPublication . Dias, Sofia Fontoura; Araújo, Lia; Sousa, LilianaSummary: The COVID-19 pandemic is a continuing public health crisis, although it has lessened in its intensity since the start of worldwide vaccination programs. In aged care facilities, gerontological social workers have become frontline professionals facing multiple challenges and demands. One year after the first COVID-19 case in Portugal, during the second major lockdown in the country, and with vaccination starting in these facilities, a photovoice program to identify the experiences of these professionals was developed. This study aimed to understand how gerontological social workers foresee the future of practice and intervention with older adults. A thematic analysis was conducted based on the photographs and associated narratives from 10 participants, all female, aged between 22 and 35 years, who attended a program’s session. Findings: Three themes were identified with the thematic analysis: (1) personal and professional growth (with renewed life perspectives and increased resilience), (2) reinvention of intervention (with improved management of emotions, teamwork, and alternative ways of intervening), and (3) hope to use the lessons learned (hope that vaccination will bring conditions to recover the older adults’ well-being and opportunities to use the good les- sons learned). Applications: These findings are relevant to inform policymakers and governments about practices in aged care facilities and to improve the training of gerontological social workers in acute action management and intervention. We stress alternative ways of inter- vening that came up in the response to the pandemic such as emotional management, digital technology, communication strategies, self-care, or the families’ involvement.