Social Workers
Offering Support and practical solutions
Beyond the medical team, social workers can help patients and families cope with the many psychological, social and practical problems that can arise when faced with an illness, hospitalization or medical treatment. Acting as patient advocates, they serve as trustworthy counselors, helping to solve problems and challenges facing the patient, caregiver and family.
Health care social workers provide a wealth of assistance -- from counseling, to helping access information, providing education and securing important resources to aid patients in areas such as their insurance, finances, transportation or home care. The first step is typically accessing the patient’s needs, which may involve interviewing the patient, the family as well as the health care team. Once the social worker understands the specific circumstances and challenges, they can help prioritize needs and discuss choices in terms of how these needs can be met.
With clear goals, social workers then help advocate for the patient by securing and scheduling the required resources. They can also provide practical support such as filling out paperwork, finding funding sources, paying bills, coordinating home care services or dealing with medical equipment rentals.
ask your health care Team to provide support in the areas you need Assistance:
Financial, Billing & Insurance
Legal Issues
Housing
Transportation
Translation
Crisis Intervention
Transitioning to Home
Home Care/Long Term Care