Aging can be a complex journey, often accompanied by an overwhelming array of local and national resources for seniors and their families. Choosing the right care options for your senior loved one can feel daunting. Thankfully, geriatric social work services are here to guide the elderly in locating, accessing, and managing the care they need.

What Is a Geriatric Social Worker?

Geriatric care is a healthcare profession dedicated solely to providing high-quality care for the elderly. Geriatric social workers are experts in the care of seniors. These professionals coordinate care to promote the independence and dignity of older adults as they age.

Geriatric social work professionals work in various settings, such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospice settings, and outpatient health care centers. In residential settings, they collaborate with teams of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners on a care plan.

What Do Geriatric Social Work Services Do?

Advocating for seniors starts with a biopsychosocial assessment. Geriatric social workers gather vital information about the older person’s current condition, such as mental and emotional health, cognitive abilities, and behavior or mood. They also learn about the senior’s physical health, medical history, and need for in-home care services.

Comprehensive Needs Assessment for Aging Adults

The social worker’s initial assessment is designed to gain information about the elderly individual’s living environment, social network, and financial situation. If the aging adult is on a health treatment plan or takes prescription medications, these details are gathered to help improve the quality of home care services provided.

Advocacy for Elderly Clients

Relying on this important information, the geriatric social worker serves as an advocate. A senior who is hospitalized receives a plan to transition back home, for instance. Plus, the social worker serves as a dependable point of contact between caregivers, health care providers, and family.

Senior Care Coordination

Care coordination is a major responsibility geriatric care managers undertake. They facilitate meetings between healthcare providers to discuss the senior’s health outcomes, express their client’s concerns to the medical teams, and provide resources in the wider community that may offer further support.

Enhancing Social Support and Well-Being

Geriatric social workers examine the details of the senior’s social situation, such as whether a social support system is in place. If not, the professional determines what barriers exist and connects the senior with helpful resources to improve their social and emotional well-being.

Counseling and Therapy for Elderly Clients

Geriatric social workers offer counseling and therapy to elderly clients. Cognitive behavioral therapy, problem-solving therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction are therapies utilized to help older adults process grief and better manage the emotional, physical, and financial challenges that accompany aging, especially for those receiving in-home care.

Life Goals and End-of-Life Planning

Counseling sessions are also designed to help seniors achieve their life goals, overcome barriers to their objectives, and plan for the end of life. Psychotherapeutic techniques are used to manage negative emotions, address behavioral issues, and improve their overall quality of life.

How Do Families Get Geriatric Social Work Services for Elderly Parents?

Adult children can find a geriatric social worker through recommendations by their parent’s doctor or other health care providers. If the family uses hospice care, the facility usually has its own geriatric social workers on staff. The state board of social workers is another valuable resource.

The local county and Area Agency on Aging can point families to a licensed geriatric social worker. Oversight at home from a social worker can be obtained by going through county agencies. Meals on Wheels, for instance, provides a social worker who assesses whether other care needs are being met.

At Assisting Hands Gulf Coast, we provide geriatric care management and social work services to help ensure the well-being of your elderly loved ones. Our GCMs take on a wide range of responsibilities to provide comprehensive care solutions. They organize medical care, arrange in-home services, and coordinate with various healthcare providers to address all aspects of care. Contact us at 813-868-6782 to receive this service from our team of professionals.

What are the Benefits of Geriatric Social Work Services?

1. Improved Quality of Life for Seniors

A geriatric social worker can enhance a senior’s quality of life simply by directing them to valuable community resources or specialists, coordinating care, and serving as the bridge between medical providers and family. These professionals can help when seniors feel helpless.

2. Support for Families of Seniors with Chronic Illnesses

Families may be overwhelmed by an aging loved one’s diagnosis of a chronic illness, such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, they feel better supported when an experienced geriatric social worker helps them make care plans that take into account the progression of the senior’s disease.

3. Simplifying Medicaid Insurance Applications

Hiring a geriatric social worker can also simplify the process of applying for Medicaid or a long-term insurance policy. Upon discussing the senior’s finances during the initial assessment, the social worker can recommend whether or not it is beneficial to apply for federal programs.

4. Facilitating an Active Lifestyle for Seniors

Geriatric social workers understand the authentic needs of their elderly clients, many of whom continue to remain active in their communities. Seniors take dance classes, sing karaoke, go on bus trips, and play billiards—and their social workers help facilitate an active lifestyle.

5. Building Trust and Identifying Care Needs

Older adults benefit significantly from the professional support of a licensed geriatric social worker. These professionals take time to build trust with the elderly clients while also identifying care needs and solutions. Furthermore, they can discuss home care and when it may be most useful.

Senior Home Care from Assisting Hands Home Care

The geriatric social worker for your elderly loved one may recommend a reputable home care agency, like Assisting Hands Home Care, which provides quality geriatric care management and senior home care services in the comfort of your home. Our professional caregivers relieve many of the burdens that aging brings. Seniors who no longer drive, for instance, can utilize our transportation services to reach the doctor’s office or pharmacy. We also provide timely medication reminders to ensure the elderly take the right drugs in the right doses. Assistance with hygiene tasks, like bathing and toileting, is included.

Our caregivers are pleasant companions who whisk away the social isolation and loneliness that commonly affect the elderly. We socialize with our aging care recipients through friendly conversations, enjoyable hobbies, leisure activities, outings to nearby areas, and stimulating games or puzzles.

Practical supports include grocery shopping for fresh produce and healthy meal preparation. We serve beverages throughout the day to ensure the elderly remain hydrated. Light household chores are performed to keep the home clean and comfortable. Caregivers also clear clutter and other fall hazards.

When compassionate senior home care is recommended by a geriatric social worker, choose Assisting Hands Home Care. We are privileged to serve the elderly in Tampa, Lithia, Lutz, Plant City, Sun City Center, Bradenton, FL, and the surrounding areas in Hillsborough and Manatee Counties. Schedule a free in-home consultation today to learn how reliable elder care elevates quality of life.