Social Work

The Hospice & Palliative Care Partners of Ohio social worker is an important member of your team of caregivers. Your social worker is trained to work with the terminally ill and those closest to them, to help them cope with the final stages of an illness and the changes that will accompany the loss of a loved one.

A hospice social worker has a degree in social work and is licensed by the State of Ohio. Every patient enrolled in the Hospice & Palliative Care Partners of Ohio program is assigned a social worker. The social worker will contact the family within the first few days of service to request permission to make the initial visit.

Your social worker will begin to assess how the patient and those closest to the patient are coping and will explain the different support services available. One very important service is counseling. Your social worker is a trained counselor who will listen sensitively to your thoughts and feelings. Other services include providing you with information about any community resources and conducting needs assessments in the following areas:

• Volunteers
• Volunteer Attorney
• Spiritual Care
• Pre-Bereavement

A Hospice & Palliative Care Partners of Ohio social worker can provide support with alternate placement assistance for the patient (nursing home, respite arrangements), review of medical bills, discussion of funeral plans, and how to talk with children about death and dying.

We understand that the grieving process is an individual process, and will take time. Either your hospice social worker or bereavement coordinator will contact you from Bereavement Services approximately 2 to 9 weeks after the death of your loved one. At that time, bereavement services will be discussed and you can find out about support services in your area.