March is National Social Work Month, a time to recognize the individuals who give their time to help others. While there are many avenues social workers can take, those who work for hospice are specially trained to care for patients nearing end-of-life.
Hospice of Michigan recognizes it takes a special person to accept the challenges, and will spend the entire month of March celebrating their dedicated team of statewide social workers.
While social workers are trained to help vulnerable people work through challenges in their life, hospice social workers are specially trained to care for patients nearing end-of-life. They work directly with all individuals involved in a patient’s care, including patients, family members, physicians, nurse practitioners and more.
Julianna Katerberg, a social worker with Hospice of Michigan’s Grand Rapids team, understands her role is to provide connection and guidance to patients and their families during a vulnerable time. She shares more about her experience in end-of-life care and the importance of this presence in the patient's life.
Hospice social workers offer countless benefits to the patients, families, and not-for-profits they serve, including:
- Helping a family fill out medical paperwork,
- Arranging homemaker services for a hospice patient and spouse living alone,
- Listening to patients needs and concerns to connect them to resources,
- Working collaboratively with nursing staff to assist in reducing pain and discomfort,
- Developing personalized care plans for each patient and their caregiver to address mental health concerns,
- Providing suggestions for non-therapeutic interventions,
- Assisting families with having difficult conversations at end-of-life,
- Providing counseling, education and emotional guidance to support families,
- Providing accommodating care to all cultures, traditions, values and family systems.
To learn more about Hospice of Michigan, visit hom.org.
