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Social workers are a significant part of the staff of most agencies serving older adults. Some states, for example, are now requiring that each nursing home employ a social worker. Some of the services in which social workers have expertise in providing to older adults are the following:
Care management services: Social workers are trained to assess the social service needs of a client and the client's family. When appropriate, the social worker case manages by arranging, coordinating, monitoring, evaluating, and advocating for a package of multiple services to meet the often complex needs of an older client. Common functions of most case management programs for older adults include case finding, prescreening, intake, assessment, goal setting, care planning, capacity building, care plan implementation, reassessment, and termination.
Grief counseling: Older adults are apt to need counseling for role loss (such as retirement or loss of self-sufficiency), loss of a significant other (such as a spouse, a child, or an adult sibling), and loss due to chronic health or mental health conditions.
Support and therapeutic groups: In some settings, social workers facilitate the formation of support groups and therapeutic groups for older adults or for family members (some of whom may be caregivers). Support and therapeutic groups are useful for such issues as adjusting to retirement, coping with illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease, dealing with alcohol or other drug abuse, coping with a terminal illness, and coping with depression and other emotional difficulties.
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