Search results for ‘Subject term:"end of life care"’ Sort:
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A multiple goals approach to exploring social worker conversational plans for advance care treatment with terminally ill patients
- Authors:
- RUSSELL Jessica, QUAACK Karly
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 17(4), 2021, pp.278-295.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
Social workers play an integral role in end-of-life planning and patient outcomes, and yet how social workers approach such conversations with patients is not well understood. The current study employed a cross-sectional design to examine social worker planned communication about end-of-life care using a multiple goals framework. Recruited from online listservs, a content analysis was conducted with social worker curated plans (n = 20) for end-of-life conversations. Plans were coded for topics and content alignment with instrumental, identity, and relational goal types. Topics found were related to eliciting patient goals and the utilization of written resources. A substantial percentage of social workers also noted the inclusion of other parties in the conversation. Findings suggested that content was predominately instrumental (i.e. task-oriented) with an overwhelming majority adhering to multiple conversational goals. Plan content affords insight to occupational orientation and prioritization during conversations with patients. Further, identifying how the majority of planned responses integrate multiple goals simultaneously gives credence to existing research regarding enhanced conversational effectiveness when social workers are present on the palliative care team. (Edited publisher abstract)
The role of social workers in palliative, end of life and bereavement care
- Author:
- COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK
- Publisher:
- British Association of Social Workers
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 46
- Place of publication:
- Birmingham
Sets out what palliative care social work is, the role and expertise of palliative care social workers and what palliative care social work can offer to support people. The resource starts with an overview of the context and an explanation of what palliative care social work is. It then outlines the particular capabilities (skills, knowledge and values) that palliative care social workers have, and the general capabilities that all social workers have in relation to end of life and bereavement. It explains what palliative care social work offers: in palliative care and end of life settings; in the last few days and hours of life; and to support wider social care. It then explains what all social workers can offer for people who are dying and bereaved and those who are close to them. The resource finishes with actions that everyone can take to get more out of palliative care social work and social work at end of life and in bereavement. (Edited publisher abstract)
Interdisciplinary perceptions of the social work role in hospice: building upon the classic Kulys and Davis study
- Author:
- REESE Dona J.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 7(4), October 2011, pp.383-406.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
Social work services have been an integral part of the provision of hospice care from the beginning of the hospice movement. However, in a survey of 34 hospices in Illinois in 1986, Kulys and Davis concluded that nurses were providing more of the psychosocial care than social workers. Most nurses and directors believed that nurses were better qualified or just as qualified to provide services such as crisis intervention, advocacy and case coordination. The aim of this study was to assess whether the views of hospice directors have changed since then. A mail survey was sent to hospices throughout the United States, and 43 hospices representing 34 states responded. The survey listed 24 interventions considered by social workers to represent their role in the hospice. The director was asked to indicate which discipline (social worker, nurse or spiritual caregiver) was most qualified to provide each intervention. The findings showed that the perception of the social worker’s role on the hospice team has greatly expanded. Hospice directors considered social workers most qualified, and most involved, in 12 of the 24 listed interventions. The results provide new information about director attitudes, social work involvement, and the impact of efforts to develop the hospice social work field. Social work education should incorporate more end-of-life care content to continue this progress.
Social workers' educational needs in end-of-life care
- Authors:
- CSIKAI Ellen L., RAYMER Mary
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 41(1), 2005, pp.53-72.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
A survey of 391 health care social workers assessed educational content and skills needed for competence in practice with those facing the end of life. Content perceived as most needed included psychological and social needs of patients and families; psychosocial interventions to ameliorate distress; and the influence of dying on family dynamics. Assessing complex needs of patients/families; communication of psychosocial needs of patient/family to team members; facilitation of effective family and team communication; and provision of crisis intervention were the skills perceived to be required for competence in end-of-life care practice. Results of these data can be used to develop model end-of-life care curricula for continuing education programs and to identify content for possible inclusion in social work programs. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
End of life care: why supporting family carers is vital
- Author:
- SOCIAL CARE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE
- Publisher:
- Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 10 minutes 46 seconds
- Place of publication:
- London
This film looks at the family support service for the families and carers of people who are at the end of their lives at Leicestershire and Rutland Hospice. Social workers work with other staff members to identify families who are in need of support. They can offer a sitting service to enable carers to have some time away from their caring responsibilities and bereavement support and counselling to those who have lost a loved one. In the film Benita, who looks after her mother, talks about the support she receives from a regular sitter. Trevor, a bereaved man, explains how he was initially reluctant to have counselling but came to find it helpful and supportive in dealing with his grief. This film was previously available under the title 'End of life care: supporting the carers', revised in 2014.
The role of the social worker at the end of life: paving the way in an academic hospital quality improvement initiative
- Authors:
- STILOS Kalliopi (Kalli), TAKAHASHI Danielle, NOLEN Amy Eleanor
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 51(1), 2021, pp.246-258.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The end-of-life (EOL) experience of patients dying in acute care has been highlighted as an area for quality improvement. Delivering comprehensive care to these patients involves addressing physical symptoms and psychosocial concerns. The social work role offers a range of interventions to address the common domains of EOL care. We report on results of an EOL survey evaluating satisfaction with social work interventions for imminently dying patients in acute care. This article is the first phase towards gaining an understanding of the contributions of the social worker in supporting dying patients and their families within our organisation. (Edited publisher abstract)
A call for hope-centered work: a preliminary study of oncology social workers' perceptions of the role and value of hope at end-of-life
- Author:
- RUDEN Meredith Hemphill
- Journal article citation:
- Clinical Social Work Journal, 47(3), 2019, pp.300-307.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
This paper examines the role and value of hope in the experiences of people with cancer at end-of-life according to the social workers who counsel them. Despite discussion of hope’s value in social work literature, it continues to be de-emphasized in end-of-life (EOL) social work training and discourse in favour of theories of grief, loss and bereavement. In an online survey, social workers affiliated with a national oncology social work organisation (n = 67) responded to closed-ended items. They assessed personal views on and experiences of hope, views on hope within the context of EOL and work experiences with EOL patients, felt competency in assessment of and engagement with hopefulness/hopelessness, and related training and support. Several open-ended items were also included and provided supplemental qualitative data. Participants recognised the value of hope hypothetically. However, their responses showed disagreement about the value of hope when it was considered within the context of EOL. They felt comfortable engaging in hope-centred discussion with EOL patients, yet did not routinely assess or encourage exploration of hope or hopelessness. There is a need for qualitative research to further explore social workers’ understanding of hope at EOL and therapeutic engagement related to it. (Publisher abstract)
Social workers can use sense of coherence to predict burnout of end-of-life care-givers (research report from Japan)
- Authors:
- HIYOSHI-TANIGUCHI Kazuko, BECKER Carl B., KINOSHITA Ayae
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 44(8), 2014, pp.2360-2374.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Social workers are deeply involved in supporting elder persons' home care-givers, who frequently border on burnout or nervous breakdown. Since social workers cannot fully assist every family caring for frail elders at home, it is valuable to pre-identify those care-givers in greatest need of social work support. Previous research suggests that care-givers' sleep interruption is a major factor in their sense of burden, but this alone proves inadequate to discriminate those in need of extra social work support. This study hypothesised that caregivers' Sense of Coherence (SOC) was the major factor in their sense of burden. With co-operation of social workers in rural and urban Japan, a survey was conducted of caregivers' SOC and sense of burden. The study of 177 family caregivers showed that a high SOC substantially mitigated their sense of burden, while caregivers with low senses of meaning felt more burdened. This suggests that social workers should administer a simple SOC test to home caregivers in order to predict those caregivers most needful of social work assistance during end-of-life home care. Moreover, if social workers could elevate home caregivers' SOC through social support or programmes of exercise or meditation, this might reduce home care-givers' sense of burden, ultimately reducing burnout, neglect and abuse of homebound elderly. (Edited publisher abstract)
Burnout and death anxiety in hospice social workers
- Authors:
- QUINN-LEE Lisa, OLSON-MCBRIDE Leah, UNTERBERGER April
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 10(3), 2014, pp.219-239.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
Hospice work has been regarded as particularly stressful due to the complexity inherent in the provision of end-of-life care. Burnout and death anxiety are especially relevant to hospice social workers because they regularly function in a high-stress, high-loss environment. The purpose of this study was threefold: to determine the prevalence of burnout and death anxiety among hospice social workers; to examine associations between burnout and death anxiety; and to explore the factors which may contribute to the development of death anxiety and burnout. Participants completed four items: the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), the Death Anxiety Questionnaire (DAQ), a demographic questionnaire, and a set of open-ended questions. Findings indicate that mean scores on the subscales of the MBI-HSS ranged from the low to moderate range and that a strong positive correlation existed between death anxiety and the depersonalisation subscale of the MBI. Three key themes emerged from the qualitative data: (a) personal interest in hospice social work developed through a variety of ways; (b) although death anxiety decreased from exposure and understanding of the death process, there was increased death anxiety surrounding working with certain patients; and (c) burnout was primarily related to workload or difficult cases. (Edited publisher abstract)
Pre-implementation knowledge tool development for health services providers: a qualitative study of Canadian social workers
- Authors:
- DYKEMAN Sarah, WILLIAMS Allison
- Journal article citation:
- Qualitative Social Work, 13(3), 2014, pp.351-371.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Recent research has shown that social workers are particularly well placed to disseminate information about health-related social programmes such as Canada’s Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB). Low uptake of the CCB may be due, in part, to a lack of knowledge. In response to this, the authors report on the development of CCB knowledge tools aimed specifically at social workers. Social worker-specific tools about the CCB were developed through a multi-step process. Using a computer-based qualitative messaging survey (n = 16), social workers chose what they determined to be the most important messages needed to gain knowledge about the CCB. Using these chosen messages, draft tools were created and then refined for content and aesthetics using a focus group (n = 8) and information from key informant interviews (n = 3). Further research is needed to evaluate tool implementation effectiveness and use in practice. This study contributes to the understanding of knowledge translation strategies specific to social workers, and particularly those working in end-of-life settings. (Edited publisher abstract)