Demographic ageing implies increased care needs, in which social workers play a key role. However, knowledge about their practice is limited and fragmented. This mixed-methods systematic review integrates evidence from 19 studies published between 2000 and 2022 on the roles of long-term care social workers in Europe and North America. The findings reveal that service and case management, direct support, personalisation of care and community engagement are leading roles. Limitations with implications for practice are also detected, such as lack of specialisation, paperwork burden, and work overload, which should be overcome to maximise social work’s contribution to care quality.

中文翻译：

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社会工作者在老年人长期护理中的作用：2000年至2022年欧洲和北美的混合方法系统评价


人口老龄化意味着护理需求的增加，而社会工作者在其中发挥着关键作用。然而，关于他们的实践的知识是有限且支离破碎的。这项混合方法的系统综述整合了 2000 年至 2022 年间发表的 19 项研究的证据，这些研究涉及欧洲和北美长期护理社会工作者的作用。调查结果表明，服务和案例管理、直接支持、个性化护理和社区参与发挥着主导作用。还发现了对实践有影响的限制，例如缺乏专业化、文书工作负担和工作超负荷，应克服这些限制，以最大限度地提高社会工作对护理质量的贡献。