Social Worker

Primary Function:

Provide psychosocial assessment and response, emotional support, advocacy, system navigation assistance and connection to resources that support quality of life and the highest level of independence possible.

The person in this role is also expected to:

• Uphold and put into daily practice the values of Carol Woods
• Support the well-being and quality of life of every individual resident.
• Function as good steward of resident resources.
• Contribute to Carol Woods approach to continual quality improvement
• Support the concepts of a learning organization

Responsibilities and Duties:

1. Resident Support

• Perform psychosocial assessment (including MDS for Health Center third floor residents), care planning and response.
• Assist residents with system navigation and referrals (eg. ongoing counseling, other health professionals, resources to support independence and quality of life), including discharge planning for non-Carol Woods residents.
• Communicate and coordinate with interdisciplinary team and other staff regarding psychosocial issues, including support at end of life.
• Provide short-term counseling to residents regarding transition issues, cognitive/physical health changes, caregiving and identified psychosocial concerns.
• Develop and maintain communication with residents’ family and support network as related to psychosocial needs and transitions.
• Communicate with residents and/or families regarding the process of transitioning to a higher level of service, including services available and timeline. Lead support/discussion groups developed to address the psychosocial and emotional needs of residents.
• Maintain documentation as required by regulatory agencies and organizational policy. Interface with other departments to facilitate resident support

2. Organization Support

• Provide education and support to other Carol Woods departments regarding resident psychosocial needs.
• Serve on the Stand-Up Team, Higher Levels of Support Transition Team, and other committees as assigned.
• With Social Work team, develop and implement internship program for Social Work students. Supervise and evaluate interns’ performance.
• All other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS:

Education:

• Masters in Social Work from an accredited School of Social Work preferred,

Experience:

• Two to five years of experience working with older adults.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to bend, stoop, and lift up to 10 pounds

Competencies:

• Adaptability
• Communication
• Confidentiality
• Computer Skills
• Facilitation Skills
• Judgement
• Organization
• Problem Solving/Decision Making
• Technical/Functional Expertise

Working Conditions:

• Works in a climate controlled environment and must travel outdoors at times to resident apartments in inclement weather.
• Must be available on occasion to participate in evening family and/or resident meetings.
• Potential for exposure to:
  • Communicable disease
  • Hazardous materials, e.g. cleaning chemicals
  • Blood products