Clinical social workers are one of the nation’s largest groups of providers of mental health services,
helping people overcome depression, anxiety and other disorders
. Social workers also work within the health care profession, helping people deal with personal and social factors that affect health and wellness.
According to NASW (Pace, 2014), 70,000 geriatric social workers are needed to help meet the needs of the aging population. It is significantly important not only for more professions to enter the field of aging but also
for an increased understanding of what mental health looks like through an aging lens
.
Social workers do this by
empowering people to manage their own lives; promoting people’s independence; supporting people’s social inclusion and participation in society; and helping people to keep safe and well
.
Social workers play a vital role in advocating for depression as a public health issue,
extending their reach into communities both in person and online, and partnering with primary care physicians to reduce stigma and increase patient wellness
.
Social workers
help relieve people’s suffering, fight for social justice, and improve lives and communities
. Most people think of social workers when they think of poverty alleviation and child welfare. Many social workers do that kind of work — and we do much more.
While often associated with the provision of personal care and accommodation, it also includes
support to help people perform parenting roles, participate in their communities and manage other day-to-day affairs
. Specific adult social care services include: Care homes.
Gerontological social workers, also known as geriatric social workers, coordinate the care of older patients in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community health clinics, long-term and residential health care facilities, hospice settings, and outpatient/daytime health care centers.
What are social services? Social services have a statutory obligation to
safeguard and promote the welfare of vulnerable children and adults
and can provide a wide range of services to children and their parents, usually within the own home environment and co-ordinated by a social worker.
Social services are a range of public services intended to
provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged
. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administered by a government agency.
social service, also called welfare service or social work, any of numerous publicly or privately provided services intended
to aid disadvantaged, distressed, or vulnerable persons or groups
.
Social Workers are often involved in
teaching people about resources and how to develop particular skills such as budgeting, the caring discipline of children, effective communication, the meaning of a medical diagnosis, and the prevention of violence
.
As a social worker, your primary responsibility will be to
help your clients solve problems
. To do that well requires a great deal of sensitivity, but also the ability to synthesize information, and to really understand what is underlying your client’s needs. That requires solid communication skills.
- It’s a Growing Field. The field of social work is expanding rapidly. …
- You May Have Your Student Loans Forgiven. …
- You Have a Variety of Opportunities. …
- There is Room to Grow. …
- You Can Make a Difference. …
- You Can Apply Your Core Values to Your Work.
Reframe and Celebrate Your Empathy
. One of the primary things social workers can do to care for themselves as empathetic individuals are appreciated the fact that empathy is a gift. They can reframe their feelings of helplessness by appreciating ad recognizing that it is a gift to care for people.
Social workers
protect children and adults with support needs from harm
. From helping keep a family under pressure together to supporting someone with mental health problems, social work is a varied, demanding, often emotional and very rewarding career.
They
provide care, treatment and support, both pharmacological and psychosocial, and help with social and other needs so that people can reintegrate into their communities
. They employ a broad range of health and social care professionals to meet the needs of people who use their services.
Social workers who are employed in homes for the elderly perform a number of functions, including
helping older adults adjust to life in their new residences, advocating for their clients’ needs and rights, providing supportive counseling and making psychosocial assessments
.
Social workers help and support the elderly in many ways, including:
Coordinating a transition from hospital to home, including transportation and after-care
. Helping with communication between health care providers, seniors, their loved ones and caregivers.
Providing assistance with concrete needs
is one of the most important ways that social workers help the poor. Concrete needs might include basic requirements like food, clothing and shelter, but can also include social benefits, health care or child care.
Assistance includes
counseling and care for children in neglectful or abusive situations
; food and housing subsidies; healthcare and prescription plans; job training; and adoption and foster care services.
Usually,
social workers will apply to the court if their concerns are serious enough to warrant such action and will do so on notice to all adults with parental responsibility for the children
(unless there are reasons to justify that no notice is provided).
