When you or your loved one has a life-limiting illness, there’s so much more than symptom management involved. You face the psychological stress, financial questions and social issues that arise every day. This is not only challenging, but it’s exhausting–not just for the patient, but for the entire family.

Our medical social workers are key advocates for our patients, helping them have access to counseling, financial help and essential resources that can provide relief from this anxiety. As a result, you’re able to spend more quality time with those you care about most.

Social Workers: Important Members of Our Team

Our motivation centers around our dedication to your family—and we consider you a part of our 3HC family. Therefore, we believe it’s crucial for you to have the vital services of medical social workers.

“Our hospice social workers have a special role in serving our patients and families,” said Brooke Tyson, MSW, Support Services Manager. “We consider them integral team members as we strive to provide the compassionate care our patients need in the environment they call home. We encourage anyone with questions to learn more about our social workers and their role.”

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these team members and how medical social work makes a huge difference in the lives of families and patients.

What Is Medical Social Work?

Medical social work involves hospice social workers who have a specific focus on helping patients and families navigate the often complicated world of illness, healthcare and even hospitalization.

In addition to providing support for hospice patients, you’ll also find them working in areas such as:

• Clinics
• Rehab centers
• Hospitals
• Other healthcare settings

What Healthcare Services Can Medical Social Workers Provide?

Patient advocacy remains the focus of what these workers provide. We believe that in order to provide the comprehensive care you deserve, it’s vital that you have a clear understanding of what your rights are, the various treatment options and detailed information on a care plan. This is a part of our patient advocacy service.

What Do Medical Social Workers Do?

• Counseling and Emotional Support – We know that emotional distress often accompanies those in hospice and palliative care. We work with patients and families to help manage stress, grief, and emotional distress related to their illnesses.
• Resource Connection – Are you aware of the home health services available through 3HC? What about respite care? Our social workers help ensure you have information about—and are linked to— special programs.
• Help With Care Decisions – Do you have a Living Will? A Healthcare Power of Attorney? These team members can help you navigate these important documents.
• Help Managing Financial and Insurance Issues – Medical social workers also help guide patients through insurance coverage and medical bills.

How Do Medical Social Workers Impact Patient Care? 

We’ve experienced firsthand the way our team members have a positive impact on patient care. Not only do they help improve the quality of life, but they make a tremendous difference to the entire family.

We touched on some of the ways they help earlier, but we also wanted you to be aware that our medical social workers also:

• Serve as a “voice” for our patients, no matter what their diagnoses. Through these workers, patients can be assured someone is addressing their concerns in a timely manner.
• Identify factors impacting our patients’ mental health and social well-being. This can include help with navigating family dynamics or helping patients understand insurance coverage.
• Provide access to extensive resources, such as support groups and living wills, that will give them peace of mind and assist the entire family.

Our Medical Social Workers Are One More Way We Treat You Like Family

We know that compassionate care extends far beyond managing symptoms. It encompasses the whole person and how illnesses affect them psychologically and financially. When faced with a life-limiting disease, it’s easy to become overwhelmed, and our social workers help ensure you get the information and assistance when you need it most.

Are you looking for hospice and palliative care? Perhaps a loved one has just received a devastating diagnosis and you’re not sure where to turn. We want to remind you that getting the right care is easy. Anyone can make a hospice referral: doctors, loved ones—even the patients themselves. We would consider it a privilege to help your family get care.

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Sources:

Mayo Clinic, College of Medicine and Science, “Medical Social Worker,” https://college.mayo.edu/academics/explore-health-care-careers/careers-a-z/medical-social-worker/

National Association of Social Workers, “Types of Social Work,” https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Facts/Types-of-Social-Work