Central to the assessment process in case management is how older people’s needs are constructed through documentation and case files. This article examines how older people’s needs are categorized in written documentation. Sixteen case files from three social work districts in Sweden were studied using discourse analysis. The results identified two general types of case files; the fact-oriented (using objective language) and event-oriented case file (using more personal language) — which depicted the older individuals quite differently. All case files employed several need categories; though social needs were important in describing living conditions, it was medical and physical needs that impinged on home care decisions. This raises questions about how case documentation depicts older people through society’s eyes and about the discourses prevailing in gerontological social work.
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