Medical Social Services
Medical Social Services
Medical social workers help people increase their capacities for problem solving and coping; and they help them obtain needed resources, services, and facilitate interactions between individuals and between people and their environment. Social workers help people become more self-sufficient; preventing dependency; strengthening family relationships; and restoring individuals, families, and groups to successful social functioning. Social services include helping people obtain adequate financial resources for their needs, evaluating the capabilities of people to care for themselves, for children, or other dependents, counseling and psychotherapy, referral and channeling, mediation, advocating, for social causes, informing organizations of their obligations to individuals, facilitating health care provisions, and linking clients/patients to resources. Medical social workers provide social group work, in which small numbers of people, who share similar interests or common problems convene regularly and engage in activities designed to achieve certain objectives such as exchanging information, facilitating support for clients/patients, helping them deal with their problems and education to improve the quality of life. The social worker can assist the clients and their families by providing ideas on coping strategies, acceptance, emotional support, education, and crisis counseling. Social work intervention is available to enhance their quality of life and activities of daily living.
SERVICES
Supportive
Counseling for Patients/Families/Partners - Life
altering diagnosis, Grief counseling, Chemical Dependency
counseling and resourcesPsychosocial
Assessment for Planning and Team Consult - Mental status
examination, Collaboration with MD's, case managers, and other
team members
Long
and Short Term Care Planning -
Assessment of home and support system, Anticipation of future care
and support needs, Board and care/SNF/residential community
consult, Residential and home hospice options, home health
options
Elder/Spousal/Child/Dependent
Abuse - Legal
reporting; Counseling; Safety, housing and support planning
Complex
Financial/Benefit Counseling and Assistance - Short and long-term disability (private, state
and federally funded)
Medicare/AHCCCS
coverage and Special Programs Counseling - Medical financial assistance,
Medicare/Medicaid benefits, Quimby, etc.
Legal
Issues
- Durable and legal power
of attorney, Conservatorship, Public guardianship, Legal
referral, Immigration issues
