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I have heard that some communities have teams of social work professionals and residents who help other residents to make transitions through the continuum of care. If your community has that sort of service, please tell us how it is organized and how it benefits residents.
Richmond Shreve
NaCCRA Board Member & VP
Forum Moderator
Panorama has social workers for Independent Living (IL), Assisted Living (AL), and Convalescent/Rehab (CC&R). Their responsibilities are focused on the populations they serve. I can only speak for the Social Workers assigned to IL residents. They are available during regular business hours.
IL social workers (five of them) are employees of the Corporation and it's significant to note that they are FUNDED by the Benevolent Fund, not the Corporation. Each social worker has a specific list of residents to which they are assigned and a resident may request re-assignment to a different social worker if they don't find compatibility with their assigned SW. The social workers try to have at least annual contact with each of their assigned residents. Contact with social workers is entirely voluntary. The social workers encourage us to have and to share personal documents like health care directives, current emergency contacts such as family, personal representatives, and/or executors. If we have pets we are encouraged to complete and share a detailed Pet Plan of Support because Panorama and most neighbors are not equipped to take care of a pet whose owner is suddenly incapacitated.
Here is how the Independent Living social workers are described on the Panorama social network.
==========quote from our social network======
We are person-centered advocates provided to you at no-cost thanks to the generous sponsorship from Panorama's Benevolent Fund. In some cases, aging presents changes and complexity that require skilled navigation of social, medical, financial and family systems. Emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of aging are considerations of equal importance to that of physical ones. Social Services hosts support groups to provide a safe space to learn, listen, and rejuvenate.
Social Service Advisors can assist with:
Newcomer visits to share information about Panorama's services
Education on long term care at Panorama including Assisted Living, C&R, Home Care and Long Term Care policy review.
Transition assistance for assisted living or the C&R
Memorial Services
Support Groups
Aging, grief and loss
Referrals to agencies, programs and services
Resource library
Resident Emergency Information updates
===========end of quote==========
Some of the support groups that are facilitated by the five social workers:
What’s New: Men’s Group
Caregiver Support Group
Cancer Support Group
Vision Support
Living with Parkinson’s
Memory Café
Navigating Aging
Life After Loss
Hearing Loss