A social worker is a professional that helps individuals connect with resources in their community. Sometimes this means helping individuals find the right doctors, creating referrals, and advocating for physical and mental health needs.
If you have a loved one that has been in the hospital, odds are you’ve probably worked with a social worker to help that loved one get ready for discharge. This isn’t something that is specific to seniors, either. Younger individuals often work closely with social workers as they leave the hospital to help with continuity of care, transitions back to school, and so on. Social workers cover a lot of different ground. As a result of this, they also tend to have a vast knowledge of what is going on in the community, what resources might be helpful, and knowledge of the best way to access those resources.
Next, it’s worth noting what a social worker can do for you and your family. If you have a loved one in a nursing home that needs help getting connected to services, the social worker may be the right resource for you. The role of the social worker in a nursing home is going to be slightly different than in a hospital, though. The hospital social worker is concerned with helping patients re-enter society. The nursing home social worker is more concerned with connecting residents with resources that can be brought to them. The social worker’s role is to help individuals connect to resources that will help make their lives better.
The majority of hospitals have at least one social worker. Many of the larger nursing homes and assisted living facilities do, too. However, depending on where you live, it may not be required for a social worker to be employed at one of these facilities. If there is one present, you have a great resource available. But if not, it isn’t necessarily a reason to despair. There are still a lot of great resources and tools available to you, you just may need to dig deeper to find them.
If you’re unsure of which resources are available in your community, and you’re already connected with a social worker, they should typically be your first line of defense for getting things accomplished. If you don’t have a social worker at your disposal, odds are there are other venues that you can go to find the help and information that you need.
Start with your local Social Services. Even if your loved one doesn’t qualify for these services, this community resource tends to be a wealth of information. They will be able to provide you with a list of providers and resources in your area that may have just what you’re looking for.
If this doesn’t help, the next step would be to start contacting local professionals. Start with those that you’re familiar with. This might mean that a friend or a family member has used this doctor or resource. Maybe you’ve just seen an ad for them online or on television. Sometimes, just reaching out to someone can be all that’s needed for you to be connected with helpful services.
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