Temporary Social Services Worker

Adira Medical Resort•Bossier City, LA

About The Position

The Social Worker provides supportive social services to residents and their families, such as counseling and referrals to outside community or medical services. He or she acts as an advocate for the resident and helps organize and implement referrals that will best suit the resident's needs. The role involves promoting the mission, vision, and values of the organization, and assisting in the admission process, including contracts, PAE, and PASSAR. The Social Worker is responsible for developing and implementing social service programs, policies, and procedures, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations and professional standards. This includes identifying and addressing the medically related social and emotional needs of residents, making arrangements for adaptive equipment and personal items, and maintaining contact with families to provide updates and encourage participation in care planning. The position also involves making referrals to external services, assisting residents with financial and legal matters, and supporting discharge planning and transfer arrangements. A key aspect of the role is building relationships with residents and families, providing counseling, and teaching staff to understand and support residents' individual needs. The Social Worker promotes resident dignity, assists residents in decision-making regarding their healthcare, and helps staff communicate effectively with residents and families. The role also focuses on finding alternatives to drug therapy and restraints, counseling individuals through grief and other emotional challenges, and working with families and community resources to address financial and emotional needs. Compiling social histories and recording pertinent social data in resident medical records are also required. The Social Worker observes and reports changes in resident attitude, behavior, or personality to nursing staff and utilizes interviewing, counseling, and communication skills to work with community resources.

Requirements

Must possess, as a minimum, a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a human services field such as, social services, sociology, psychology, special education, or rehabilitative counseling.

Nice To Haves

Member in good standing in the National Association of Social Workers strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Promote the mission, vision, and values of the organization.
Plan, develop, organize, implement, evaluate and direct the social service programs at the facility.
Assist in the admission process, admission contracts, PAE, and PASSAR.
Assist in the development, administering, and coordinating of department policies and procedures.
Keep abreast of current federal and state regulations, as well as professional standards, and make recommendations on changes in policies and procedures to the Administrator.
Review department policies and procedures annually and participate in making recommended changes.
Develop and implement policies and procedures for the identification of medically related social and emotional needs of the residents.
Make arrangements for obtaining needed adaptive equipment, clothing, and personal items as necessary and appropriate.
With resident's permission, maintain contact with the family to report on changes in health, current goals, resident's rights, discharge planning, and to encourage participation in care planning.
Make referrals and obtain services from outside entities, such as talking books, absentee ballots, and community wheelchair transportation.
Assist residents with financial and legal matters, such as applying for pensions, referrals to attorneys, and referrals to funeral homes for preplanning arrangements, as necessary.
Assist with discharge planning services, such as helping to place residents on a waiting list for other facilities, arranging intake for home-care services for residents returning home, etc.
Assist with transfer arrangements to other facilities.
Complete discharge plan in accordance with discharge plan policy.
Develop relationship with resident and family and provide or arrange for provision of needed counseling services.
Build relationships between residents and staff and teach staff to understand and support residents' individual needs.
Promote actions by staff that maintain or enhance each resident's dignity in full recognition of each resident's individuality.
Assist residents in the decision-making process (as appropriate) concerning their own health care, and whether or not they would like anyone else to be involved in those decisions.
Assist staff in communicating with residents and family members regarding the resident's health status and health-care choices and their ramifications.
Provide alternatives to drug therapy and/or restraints by understanding and communicating with nursing services why residents acts as they do, what they are attempting to communicate and what needs the staff must meet.
Counsel residents, families, and staff in dealing with feelings about grief, depression, disability, death, dying or other emotional, mental, environmental, or physical limitations.
Find options that best meet the physical and emotional needs of the residents.
Work with families and residents on social interaction, reality orientation, and intellectual stimulation.
Work with families and community resources as needed to solve financial needs and promote emotional security regarding financial stability.
Identify community services and help the resident and families utilize them when needed.
Compile and record social histories to assist in understanding resident's backgrounds, family problems, resources, histories of illness, interests, etc.
Record pertinent social data about medically related personal and family problems in resident's medical records.
Assist residents in utilizing individual and group activities to their best advantage.
Observe record and notify nursing staff of changes in attitude, behavior, or personality, especially depression, anxiety, withdrawal, and aggression.
Develop and use skills of interviewing, nondirective counseling, and communicating with community resources.