Social Worker

 Social work complements what other professions offer, palliative care social workers work in partnership and coordination with the interdisciplinary team, bringing their own unique perspective and expertise.

·        
Compassionate communication with families: The social worker has the responsibility of compassionate
communication with any family he/she is referred to. This includes empathy,
respect, active listening, etc.

·        
Facilitating access to social support: Patients and families may need support to preserve social networks, engaging in social activities, companionship, or befriending.

·        
Facilitating access to personal and
practical care: Patients and families may benefit from
practical help and respite care which could be facilitated by the social
worker. These can include support with personal care, cleaning, and shopping,
bathing, dressing, or other matters as provided by paid workers, volunteers,
etc.

·        
Protecting vulnerable populations: Social workers may support provision of care for vulnerable family members,
including children and elderly, people with disabilities, socially
disadvantaged individuals, etc., via recognizing, protecting, and advocating
for these populations if needed to make sure that their voices are heard and
their needs are met.  

·        
Assisting in legal matters: Patients and families may have legal concerns about death arrangements,
wills, protecting people from harm or abuse. The social worker may assist in
these matters if needed. Any legal steps that are taken will be facilitated by
the social worker in strict coordination with the organization’s management.  

·        
Providing financial counseling and
financial assistance to patients: Patients and
families may need advice on employment issues, and assistance in securing
financial benefits and fundraising, which becomes at risk due to the patient’s
medical costs and caregiving needs. This occurs in close coordination with
SANAD’s fundraising team when the donation is specific to a patient/family.  

·        
Facilitating access to practical aids and a
safe living environment: Patients may
need help in practical aids, including medical equipment, especially when these
are not available in SANAD’s storage. The social worker also assesses and
ensures a safe living environment for the patient as needed.

·        
Referrals and advocacy within the larger
system: Explicit partnership agreements could be
arranged between SANAD and other local health and social care services and the
voluntary sector to ensure that the needs of patients and their caregivers are
met in a timely fashion and that different components of social support are
accessible from all locations. Otherwise, information on local and
national resources are provided to patients and families upon need.

·        
Participation in patient education: In addition to
direct patient care, social workers have a role to play in educating patients,
and developing educational material that might assist patients.

·        
Participation in interdisciplinary team meetings and interventions: The social
worker assists the interdisciplinary team meeting in their needs with the
patient and the family during case discussions if needed, especially in terms
of knowledge and skills that are specific to social work. The social worker
also assists the interdisciplinary team in their team interventions when the
family is referred, upon need.

·        
Organization of social work services: Visiting the
patients and family must be of a frequency that allows for adequate
reassessment. Visit schedules must be tailored to patient need. Similarly,
interventions are based on the assessment, reassessment, and availability of
services. The care plan, coordinated with the interdisciplinary team and
especially the nursing unit, reflects the goals that are important to the
patient and the family, and is kept updated as the hospice patient’s condition
or environment changes. Importantly, social workers should be involved in the
development of agency policies and procedures. Examples include policies or
procedures for reporting abuse and neglect. This also includes ensuring timely
documentation and involvement in quality enhancing projects.

·        
Healthcare workers education, training, and advocacy: The social worker is also involved in developing training material
for healthcare workers. Importantly, the social worker identifies the gaps and
failing in the services and the systems and negotiates for patient’s rights and
informed needs accordingly.

Further dimensions that could be explored in the future are

·        
Involvement in emotional support of patients and families, where
the role of the social worker can complement the nurses’ psychosocial support
and the mental health unit’s psychological support when needed.

·        
“Compassionate Communities” program, which is a developing model
internationally(https://www.pallium.ca/compassionate-communities/),
on how to resource families and friends, volunteers, health services,
municipalities, and other community members in a compassionate manner that aids
families with dying patients emotionally and practically pre-death and in grief
and bereavement. This also includes community awareness and advocacy.