It can take a team of people to care for an older adult. One professional who may be part of the mix is a social worker. It may not be as obvious what a social worker does compared to other professionals involved in your older adult’s care. Here’s some more information.
What Does a Social Worker Do?
A social worker helps people manage and prevent problems in their daily lives. This often involves helping people and communities that are more vulnerable. Social workers aim to improve everyday life for individuals, families, groups, and societies.
Social workers have a bachelor's or master’s degree, and they may need a license depending on the state where they work.
Social workers also have additional training to provide therapy.
Social workers commonly work in places like child welfare/human service agencies, health care practices/hospitals, and at schools. With older patients, this also could include working at long-term care facilities, in hospice, and at adult day care centers.
Social workers also can specialize further to become geriatric social workers. This allows them to focus exclusively on helping older adults.
How Might a Social Worker Help Older Adults?
Here are some of the many ways that social workers help older adults:
- Coordinating care for someone
- Advocating for an older person to make sure they have emotional, family, and mental support
- Connecting an older person or their caregivers with community resources
- Completing assessments within a residential care setting
- Establishing care plans with other health professionals and updating those plans as needed
- Discussing treatment options with patients and their family members or caregivers
With the growth of the aging population, the need for social workers ready to help older adults is greatly expanding.
Call Secure Aging to Find Out How We Can Help Seniors With Care Management
At Secure Aging in Bradenton, we transform the weight of the world into a sigh of relief for our senior clients and their concerned family members. The mission of Secure Aging is to protect and preserve our client’s independence and dignity through careful and thoughtful financial and care management. As our clients age, it is their desire to remain independent and age with dignity. Our services protect our clients from talented con artists looking to exploit and deplete the financial resources of our vulnerable seniors. Secure Aging helps families in Manatee County and Sarasota County and in and around the communities of Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Ellenton, Holmes Beach, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Myakka City, Palmetto, Parrish, and Sarasota. Call us at 941-761-9338, or visit us online at www.secureaging.com.
