[Ambulatory nursing-care related social work]

From a gerontological point of view, social work which accompanies care processes is absolutely necessary. The social production of care depends crucially on an appropriate attention toward the fitting between informal and formal help systems. Social work can support these fitting processes both on a firm level and on a neutral level. Some specific attributes of social work with elder care-dependant living in their private homes are discussed, such as threatening, difficult or ashaming aspects, as well as the necessity of all involved persons agreeing in the developed help-planning process. Practice research and Social science perspectives are discussed as appropriate reference system for life-world orientated social work with informal caregiving arrangements. Concerning the support of informal caregivers as an important example of ambulant social work with elder people, some dimensions of theoretical and practical professionality are proposed.