Care Institutions’ Operators: Training and Transformation in the Knowledge Society. A “bridge” between research and training

In the research and training approach adopted by the Italian unit, we decided to intervene within the framework of institutions for the elderly and minors (rest homes, communities for minors). In these contexts, the daily relationship between worker and user is difficult because of a set of elements that can be ascribed to feelings of frustration, abandonment, rage and isolation on one hand, and to the lack of adequate skills on the other hand. The caregiver who manages such relationships on a daily basis obviously deals with a complex job, still de-qualified at the level of social perception. At the same time, caregivers may live situations of violence – as victims or perpetrators – and situations of conflict; this has mid and long-term effects on them as well as on the users.