This link is to a newspaper article in the Houston Chronicle titled Duties of a Nursing Home Social Worker. The article talks about the services a social worker provides, such as Direct Care, end of life care, and advocacy. I found this article to be very informative and a good source of information for someone just learning about what a Social Worker does in a Nursing Home setting.
This is a link to a PDF document published by The National Association of Social Workers titled Social Work in Long-Term Care and Aging: Decreased Health Care Costs, Increased Quality of Life. This paper highlights the Psychosocial needs of people receiving long-term services and supports, including abuse, neglect, misuse of alcohol and other medications, suicide and hoarding. The paper also defines the role of the professional social worker in long-term care and the different settings this care may take place. This paper does a fine job of outlining the psychosocial needs facing the elderly population as well as the role of the social worker in their care. There is also a list of legislation important to social workers in general and also for the care of long-term care residents that is information useful to someone in the social work profession.
S. Department of Health and Human Services- The Supply and Demand of Professional Social Workers Providing Long-term Care Services: Report to Congress. This report to Congress was written in 2006, so it is slightly dated, but still important and useful information. The report defines social worker and long-term care and highlights the future need for social workers to work with the increasing aging population. This report also highlights the difference between a bachelors level social worker and a masters level social worker and the job descriptions of each, while also pointing out the need for more educational opportunities for those working in long-term care.
This is a documentary style video on The Eden Alternative model of care. This approach is not specifically for social workers, but is important for the way it teaches about caring for the individual and helping them thrive and grow in a nursing home environment.
My Better Nursing Home is a blog written by Eleanor Feldman Barbera, PhD. This blog is not social work specific, but has many entries that discuss social work topics. This blog dates back to 2011 and has many relevant entries today.
This article on the Social Work Today website is all about Palliative care in long-term care settings. It offers insight into caring for the whole person and the main goal of palliative care which is quality of life. There is a lot of information packed into a relatively small article which is very interesting.
The Value of Social Workers in Long Term Senior Care is a page designed to help with the decision making process involved in placing a loved one into long-term care. The article addresses the guilt loved ones often feel at not being able to provide the care needed and how a social worker can help residents and families every day. The site’s sponsor is a medical group in Missouri, so some of the links are for their health systems, but the information on this page is useful for anyone in any location. The content is useful and current and easy to understand.
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