Hospice Social Worker

• Overview Otterbein Hospice provides services for clients and their families, complimenting already strong independent senior services, outpatient capabilities and clinical facilities.
• Otterbein Hospice provides professional, personalized, and holistic medical care to ensure physical, emotional, and spiritual comfort.
• At Otterbein Hospice, our dedicated and compassionate team is here to help clients and families through all stages of life’s journey.
• Hospice is a philosophy of care for those facing life-limiting illnesses, as well as their families and caregivers.
• The focus of hospice care is to help patients experience peace, comfort, and quality of life while also offering support and services to their family and caregivers.
• Providing a high level of personalized care, Otterbein Hospice is guided by Otterbein’s nearly century-old tradition of faith-based ministry, clinical skills and strong community ties.
• Otterbein is a not-for-profit, faith-based ministry that is a national leader and innovator in retirement living communities and long-term care.
• Otterbein is seeking a Social Worker for Ashanti Hospice, to assist in the growth of our Hospice ministry.
• At Otterbein, you’re more than an employee, you’re a Partner in Caring.
• Together, we work side by side toward a shared goal: delivering person-centered care that respects every resident and the choices they make.
• Whether in our vibrant communities, our welcoming small house neighborhoods, Home Health, Hospice or Home Office, we provide the highest level of compassionate, quality care.
• Join our team of Partners who are talented, kind, wise, funny, spirited, generous, endearing, and truly one-of-a-kind.
• The Hospice Social Worker is responsible for the provision of a wide range of psychosocial services to terminally ill patients and their families.
• Shifts Available: PT

Responsibilities

Conduct initial comprehensive psychosocial and bereavement risk assessment of patient/family/caregiver in a thorough, accurate, and compassionate fashion within five (5) calendar days after the patient’s election of Hospice care. Function as an expert and facilitator at obtaining and making referrals to community resources to meet the needs of patients and families including obtaining financial assistance when indicated and referring patients and families to community agencies with appropriate follow-up. Assist family/caregiver in placement of patient in a facility for basic care, respite or inpatient when appropriate as indicated. Provide psychosocial and anticipatory grief counseling to patients, families, caregivers and significant others relative to the impact and implications of the terminal disease and patient care. Assesses the psychosocial status of patient/family as it relates to capacity to cope with diseases, terminal illness, environment and death. Provides counseling services as applicable and assists in utilizing community resources. Communicates findings to the team. Participate in the development of the plan of care and treatment. Holds case conferences as needed. Prepare social histories, evaluations and plan interventions based on findings. Updates, maintains and submits clinical documentation according to agency guidelines in an accurate and timely manner. Assists with discharge planning. Attends and participates in scheduled interdisciplinary team meetings (IDT) to coordinate care plans, follow up on changes, problem solve, identify social problems, their severity and interrelatedness to the medical situations, as well as, assessing family strengths and weaknesses and discussing alternate methods of alleviating the situation. Assist team members in understanding significant social and emotional factors of the patient & family. Ensures all care is provided with respect and dignity for patients, reports all complaints, reports all allegations of abuse, misappropriation of patient property and/or any other corporate compliance items. Acts as a mentor to other personnel by participating in orientation and assisting with field training and in-service education to contractors and referral sources Teaches the patient, family and/or caregiver regarding the progression of the disease process and self-care techniques, which includes providing counseling support/ instructions as ordered by physician. Skills Must have effective communication, comprehension, documentation, interpersonal and computer skills. Ability to assess patient needs and formulate individualized patient care plans to meet those needs. Ability to work in a field setting and exhibit ability to make sound judgments.