“My mother has been placed in a nursing home. How can a social worker help her?”
My 82 year old mother has been placed in a nursing home, and is having a very hard adjusting. How can a social worker help her?
5 Answers
SocialWorkNursingHomes
As a Clinical Social Worker with expertise in geriatric care, I understand the challenges and emotional complexities associated with transitioning an elderly family member into a nursing home. This period can be challenging both for the individual and their family. Social workers play a crucial role in facilitating this transition and enhancing your mother's well-being and quality of life.
1. Assessment and Care Planning: Initially, a social worker can conduct a comprehensive assessment of your mother's physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs. This assessment allows for the development of an individualized care plan that addresses her specific concerns and preferences, ensuring that her needs are met in a holistic manner.
2. Emotional Support and Counseling: The transition to a nursing home can be emotionally taxing. Social workers provide counseling and emotional support to help residents cope with feelings of loss, anxiety, or depression. They can offer individual or group therapy sessions focusing on adjustment and adaptation.
3. Advocacy and Rights Protection: Social workers serve as advocates for residents, ensuring that your mother’s rights and dignity are upheld within the nursing facility. They can intervene if there are any issues regarding care quality, helping to resolve disputes and improve her overall experience.
4. Facilitating Communication: Social workers act as liaisons between your family, your mother, and the nursing home staff. They ensure that your family is kept informed about her health status, care plan, and any changes that might occur. Additionally, they can assist in fostering better communication among staff to ensure coordinated care.
5. Resource Connection: They can connect your mother and your family with additional resources and support services. This might include community programs, support groups, financial assistance, or specialized healthcare services that are available to enhance her life and health outcomes.
6. Social Engagement and Activities: Social workers can help your mother become engaged in social activities that promote interaction and prevent isolation. They can work with the activity staff to ensure the programs align with her interests and capabilities, fostering a sense of community and belonging.
7. Family Support: Recognizing the impact this transition can have on the family, social workers can provide guidance and support to family members. This support may include discussing long-term care options, addressing familial concerns, and facilitating family meetings or counseling if necessary.
In summary, a social worker can support your mother through this difficult transition by providing counseling, advocacy, coordinated care planning, and ensuring access to necessary resources and social activities. Their role is to maintain and improve her quality of life in the nursing home by addressing her individual needs and promoting a supportive environment for both her and the family.
1. Assessment and Care Planning: Initially, a social worker can conduct a comprehensive assessment of your mother's physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs. This assessment allows for the development of an individualized care plan that addresses her specific concerns and preferences, ensuring that her needs are met in a holistic manner.
2. Emotional Support and Counseling: The transition to a nursing home can be emotionally taxing. Social workers provide counseling and emotional support to help residents cope with feelings of loss, anxiety, or depression. They can offer individual or group therapy sessions focusing on adjustment and adaptation.
3. Advocacy and Rights Protection: Social workers serve as advocates for residents, ensuring that your mother’s rights and dignity are upheld within the nursing facility. They can intervene if there are any issues regarding care quality, helping to resolve disputes and improve her overall experience.
4. Facilitating Communication: Social workers act as liaisons between your family, your mother, and the nursing home staff. They ensure that your family is kept informed about her health status, care plan, and any changes that might occur. Additionally, they can assist in fostering better communication among staff to ensure coordinated care.
5. Resource Connection: They can connect your mother and your family with additional resources and support services. This might include community programs, support groups, financial assistance, or specialized healthcare services that are available to enhance her life and health outcomes.
6. Social Engagement and Activities: Social workers can help your mother become engaged in social activities that promote interaction and prevent isolation. They can work with the activity staff to ensure the programs align with her interests and capabilities, fostering a sense of community and belonging.
7. Family Support: Recognizing the impact this transition can have on the family, social workers can provide guidance and support to family members. This support may include discussing long-term care options, addressing familial concerns, and facilitating family meetings or counseling if necessary.
In summary, a social worker can support your mother through this difficult transition by providing counseling, advocacy, coordinated care planning, and ensuring access to necessary resources and social activities. Their role is to maintain and improve her quality of life in the nursing home by addressing her individual needs and promoting a supportive environment for both her and the family.
Social workers can help “assess” her needs and get to know her. They can connect her with resources and support for practical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
The goal is to support your mom’s quality of life to the fullest and specifically what that means to her! Hope this helps.
Kindly,
Kylee Mills, LCSW, PhD Candidate
The goal is to support your mom’s quality of life to the fullest and specifically what that means to her! Hope this helps.
Kindly,
Kylee Mills, LCSW, PhD Candidate
Great question. Social workers trained in geriatric social work can provide emotional support, promote independence, help her manage the emotional aspects of change, and help her make social connections. They can also help facilitate any additional medical care she may require.
A social worker in this setting will be a resource to help navigate what resources can help your mother with engaging in her enviroment. Depending on this situation, there may be programs and social skill building in place, but there may be other considerations regarding neurocognitive disorders given the change of enviroment and reported behavior concern, which may need to be ruled out. The social worker would be doing this coordination of care on behavior of your mother.
Hello, a SW could help with giving adjustment techniques and coping skills for new environment as well as be a safe place for her to discuss concerns.
