Ch. 5 Reflection

Chapter five discusses social work in home health care. Home health care is basically services that are performed by skilled personal who provide needed assistance with activities of daily living, ADLs. This includes: nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy, homemaker, chore, and personal care services. In the beginning of chapter the book states, “Home health care includes an array of services-nursing, rehabilitative therapies, social work, personal care, homemaking-to aid the individual in achieving and sustaining the highest level of health, activity, and independence.”  Family members, friends, or other caregivers must also be available because home health care is not provided twenty-four hours a day. Home health care has rapidly grown throughout the years. The cost has also expanded, but Medicare and other options are provided to help pay in order for each person to receive the best care. It is known to be less expensive than a nursing home, but this is only if extra cares such as friends, family, etc. are present to help. Home health care is in such need because most all elderly, even some young, need the extra help with taking medicines, bathing, and dressing themselves. Social work is included in home health care only if requested by the physician. It also is normally only needed if it is medically related. Social workers are needed in to help the patient and family adjust to the new changes or illness, financial problems, vocational and educational problems, care giving problems or care giving stress, and any other psychiatric disorders as well.  A social worker plays the part more as the “support system” and does everything to help make the transitions into home health care as simple as possible.

Resource:

Cowles, L. A. F. (2003). Social work in the health field: A care perspective. Routledge.