6 Facts about Social Workers in Hospice and Palliative Care

1. Hospice and Palliative care social workers fulfill a variety of roles and tasks. Some of these roles include: Counseling, psychosocial educations to patients and their caregivers about coping mechanisms, providing in-services to other service providers and organizations, intervening in crisis, advocating on behalf of the family and the patient, and finally documenting social work activities.

Click to access Hospice.pdf

2. Hospice and Palliative care social workers can enter the workforce in both the bachelors and masters level.

3. Palliative social work is a field where the rewards and costs aren’t easily measurable in dollars. The Median salary in this field is 49,500.

http://www.socialworklicensure.org/types-of-social-workers/palliative-hospice-social-workers.html

4.Basic eligibility requirements for this field include a bachelor’s degree in social work, 20 or more CEU’s related specifically to hospice and palliative care, documentation of at least 3 years of supervised social work experience in hospice and palliative care, current state license to practice as a professional social worker, and adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics and NASW Standards for End of Life Care.

http://www.socialworklicensure.org/types-of-social-workers/palliative-hospice-social-workers.html

5. A Hospice social worker can also advise the family of the patients regarding funeral arrangements, dealing with estate issues, recovery of any property of the deceased which is still in the care of the hospice after they past away. They provide their clients with the necessary guidelines they can follow in order to make their loss a little smoother.

6. A hospice social works usually works business hours, unless otherwise required. They can also work late night shifts.

http://www.cvtips.com/career-choice/hospice-social-worker-job-facts.html

 

Facts about mental health as well as types of mental health issues

1.60% of mental health professionals are clinically trained social workers, compared to 10% psychiatrist, 23% of psychologist, and 5% psychiatric nurses.

2.Mental health services are provided in a variety of settings, including: community mental health programs, disaster relief programs, employee assistance programs, military and veteran services, private practice, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, schools, and rehabilitation programs

https://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/features/issue/mental.asp

3. Anxiety disorders- People with anxiety disorders respond to certain objects or situations with fear and dread, as well as with physical signs of anxiety or panic. Some reactions are rapid heartbeat and sweating. There are 3 different types of anxiety disorders such as, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

4. Mood disorders-These disorders are also called affective disorders. This can involve persistent feelings of sadness as well as periods of feeing overly excited/happy.Most common mood disorders are known as depression, bipolar disorder,and cyclothymic disorder.

5.Eating disorders- Extreme emotions regarding food and weight. This is could be known as Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders.

6.Personality disorders: People with this disorder have extreme and inflexible personality traits that are distressing to the person or can cause issue at work, school, or social relationships.

7. Post-traumatic stress disorder- a condition that develops after a traumatic event. This can be sexual or physical assault, unexpected death of a loved one, or a natural disaster. These individuals tend to be emotionally numb.

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-types-illness

6 Common Disabilities amongst children

1.Autism- Autism is a developmental disability. Symptoms of autism usually show up during a child’s first 3 years. Child with autism have a very difficult time communicating with others as well as interacting with other children. They often have speech and language delays. They also tend to react to sounds, sights, tastes, smells, and touch in ways that are different from typical children.

2. Blindness- Blindness is often defined as having less than 20/200 vision in the better eye with correction.

3. Deafness- a hearing impairment that is so severe that a child cannot process what other say through hearing, even when a sound is amplified.

4. Learning disabilities- a neurological disorder. Children with this disability are as smart as other children are, but they learn differently than other children. These children will have trouble with reading, writing, or math.

5. Traumatic Brain Injury- an injury in the brain, usually cause by a very hard hit to the head or violent shaking. This can cause people to act differently, learn differently, have trouble paying attention, understanding or remembering things, have trouble thinking or taking, walk differently, or have difficulty with seeing or hearing

6. Speech Language impairment- problem with communication of with the way the mouth works in order to make sounds. Trouble making sense of what others are saying, trouble using language to communicate, or problems with the use of the mouth for speech.

How Do Social Workers Help the Families of Children With Disabilities?

 

 

6 Facts about school Social Work

 

1.School social workers are the best professional to discuss social and psychological issues which tend to block academic progress. Through counseling, crisis, intervention and prevention programs, they help young people overcome the difficulties in their lives, which will in return allow for a greater chance of success in school.

2. 5% of the nations approximately half a million social workers work in schools. primarily public schools. Aside from working with youth with traditional academy issues, social workers are able to aid others whose specific social, psychological, emotional or physical difficulties put them at risk for falling through the cracks.

3. School social workers have made an impact in many other areas such as designing successful violence-prevention programs.Alternative programs for gay and lesbian youth who might otherwise leave school because of peer taunting and abuse.

http://www.naswdc.org/pressroom/features/issue/school.asp

4. School social workers participate in special education assessment meetings as well as individual Educational planning meetings.

5. Mobilizing family, school, and community resources to enable the child to learn as effectively as possible i his or her educational program.

http://www.sswaa.org/?page=721

6. School social workers also promote and reinforce regular attendance with students, families, teachers, and administrators. They also intervene in instances of chronic truancy and non-attendance of students. Finally, they provide appropriate interventions to prevent school “drop out” in conjunction with established school and community programs.

http://www.acps.k12.va.us/student-services/social-work/

6 Facts about Child Welfare

 

1.Child abuse is a systemic issue with no easy answers and no simple solutions. Social workers involved with these cases need to secure the safety of children while adequately addressing their needs and the needs of the families.

2. Social workers within the child welfare system have made professional and personal commitments to protect children and preserve families through their clinical interventions and direct work with children and families.

3. “Child welfare system” describes a continuum of services that includes child protective services, family preservation, family foster care, group homes, residential facilities, adoption services, and kinship care services.

4. There are challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining workers for child welfare services due to , low salaries, high caseloads/workloads, administrative burdens, risk of violence, limited or inadequate supervision and insufficient training.

5. One of the most difficult aspects of working in child welfare system are caseload/workload, paperwork, salary, media, portrayal of social workers, working conditions, court appearances, safety, lack of training/professional development opportunities, as well as issues confronting children and their families.

6. Although there are many social workers who find child welfare to be challenging others believe it to be a rewarding and satisfying profession. However, this profession isn’t intended for everyone so it is important to do your research in order to know what you are getting yourself into.

 

Work Cited

Click to access naswchildwelfarerpt062004.pdf

 

 

6 Facts about Substance Abuse

1. Substance Abuse can be linked to Tobacco, Alcohol, illegal or prescription drugs. https://www.sokanu.com/careers/substance-abuse-social-worker/

2. Drug Abuse and addiction changes your brain chemistry. The longer you use your drug of choice, the more damage is done- and the harder it is to go back to “normal” during drug rehab.

3. Some symptoms of those who abuse drugs are isolation from family and friends, spending time with new friends or friends who get high or drunk, never having money and always asking to borrow money, constantly sleeping, not paying attention of basic hygiene, and sneaking away to either get high or drunk.

4. Unfortunately substance abuse can occur at any point in time. For Teens and young adults this could lead to long-term issues. Addiction, poor judgement, injury due to intoxication, lifelong legal problems, serious, irreversible health problems.

5. Symptoms tat must occur in order for an individual to be diagnosed with an addiction would have to be tolerance for the drug they consume, withdrawal symptoms when the drug is not consumed, loss of control when using drugs, and craving drugs the majority of the time.

6. Substance abuse can lead to various health issues in the future involving the liver and major organs.

http://luxury.rehabs.com/drug-abuse/

4 Ways a Social Worker can be Beneficial to a Veteran

1. When soldiers come back from war there are usually some issues with adapting back to society. Luckily social workers are ready to meet with these veterans and ask about their health, living situations, family and other support systems, military experience, and anything else a veteran will need assistance with. After this a social worker can write an assessment that can help their VA healthcare team create treatment plans.

2. Social workers are also able to provide long-term case management services to veterans who are at risk of being admitted to a hospital. Whether it be due to medical problems who just needing additional help and support. 

3. Educating the veteran and their family members/support system is a vital role of a social worker. This can be through providing you with information regarding additional services you could use in order to live a healthier life. As well as learning how to deal with stress and loss as well as finding support group through their local community. Yet education is not limited to veterans and their families but also to the staff in the medical centers that these individuals are admitted to.

4. At times veterans have difficulty speaking up for themselves. Luckily social workers are available to provide you with assistance as well as explaining anything that is confusing.

http://www.socialwork.va.gov/socialworkers.asp

6 Facts about Oncology Social Work

1. An oncology social worker is someone who provides a patient with the necessary assistance and knowledge regarding their illness.
2. An oncology social worker provides their patients with psychological, emotional, social and spiritual issues.http://www.cancer.net/blog/2014-04/spotlight-oncology-social-workers-–-part-i-qa
3. Oncology social work has been around since the 1960s
4. Although oncology social work is very important technology has changed the way people with cancer receive counseling. Now they have the option to join online support groups and to receive counseling via phone.http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/news/2015/04/oncology-social-work.asp
5. Oncology social workers can be found in hospitals, clinics, outpatient clinics, and community agencies.
6. One of the requirements of being an oncologist is 3 years of post masters experience in oncology social work.

Oncology Social Work Certification (OSW-C) Requirements

7 Facts about Poverty!

1. The poverty rate of Asians and Hispanics were “statistically identical” in 2008, at 22.4 percent and 23.5 percent, respectively.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/nyc-poverty_n_5240355.html

2. In recent years, homelessness in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

3. The number of homeless New Yorkers sleeping each night in municipal shelters is now 91 percent higher than it was ten years ago.

 

4. Research shows that, compared to homeless families, homeless single adults have much higher rates of serious mental illness, addiction disorders, and other severe health problems.

http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/basic-facts-about-homelessness-new-york-city/

5. There are a group of individuals that dedicate their time to encourage people living in the street to move into transitional and permanent housing.

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/dhs/outreach/outreach.page

6. One quarter of homeless people are children. This includes living with other people, parks, cars, bus or train stations.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/ten-facts-about-homelessn_b_5977946.html

7. Many reasons for becoming homeless include, lack of affordable housing, job loss, lack of health care, substance abuse, and domestic violence.

http://www.frontsteps.org/u-s-homelessness-facts/

6 Facts about Mental Health in Correctional Facilities

1. About 20 Percent of inmates have serious mental health illnesses (Aufderheide, 2014 Par 3).
2. Some most common mental health issues that inmates face include,  schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder (Aufderheide, 2014, Par 4).
3. In the 1960s, states embarked on an initiative to reduce publicly-operated mental health hospitals. As a result thousands of mentally ill persons were released into communities. Without proper health care it only led to incarceration for many of these individuals (Aufderheide, 2014, Par 7).
4. While holding a mental ill person in jail it could lead to additional issues such as becoming overly passive, withdrawn and dependent during incarceration. Other might become agitated, episodically violent or engage in suicidal self-injurious behaviors (Aufderheide, 2014, Par 9).

5. Locations like Rikers Island have become Privatized in order to provide inmates with mental health services. However, this does not ensure that these individuals are receiving the appropriate services (Daniel, 2008, Par 8).

6. Unfortunately once released from prison it will be difficult to seek help due to a limited amount of programs. This will lead to re-admittance to the prison system. (Aufderheide, 2014. Par 12).