WEEK7 POST2

Breanna Williams

Social workers are found in almost every aspect of the health care field. According to Farley et al. (2011), social workers practice at the local, state, federal, and international level which can include practicing in general medical hospitals, county/state health departments, children’s hospitals, outpatient hospitals, nursing homes, health centers, and private disease centers. Within the hospital setting such as general, medical hospitals, children’s hospitals, and outpatient hospitals the social worker plays an important role in advocating for the patient. Social workers assess the patient’s psychological and environmental strengths and weaknesses as well as work collaboratively with the team to ensure the proper delivery of services (Farley et al., 2011). They assist the family to cooperate with what is best for the patient as well as serve as a resource for offering community services. Social workers also engage in the process of making policies and engaging in research to further the knowledge they have. The social worker in a state or county department of health has the responsibilities of assessing individuals and families and providing them with the resources they need such as emergency assistance and food stamps. They develop and enforce new policies to ensure that the individuals they are advocating for are receiving the most out of the resources provided as well as help to engage in the research process.

The SAD PERSONS paradigm stands for sex, age, depression, previous attempt, ethanol abuse, rational thinking, social support, organized plan, no spouse, and sickness which is a risk assessment for suicide (University of Nebraska, n.d.). This paradigm would be beneficial to any social worker regardless of which division he or she works for. Depression and suicide can be found in any practice and knowing how to assess whether or not an individual is at risk is a useful tool to prevent a tragedy.

Gabriela Thompson

Hello Everyone,

According to this week’s course material, social work that takes place in the healthcare setting is done in collaboration with medical and public health programs such as hospitals, clinics, and health departments. Social workers that work in the healthcare setting focus on addressing illnesses that have been brought about due to social and environmental stress that may bring about failures in social relationships and social functioning (Farley et al., 2011). Social workers also focus on working with patients in the decision-making process when forced to make tuff choices about their treatment. For instance, a social worker may be utilized when an elderly patient is choosing not to have surgery that could drastically improve their quality of life. Social workers are also able to assist patients who are suffering from psychological issues such as depression. They can utilize tools such as the SAS PERSON paradigm to identify individuals who may be at risk. The SAD PERSON paradigm incorporates three primary factors to assess the risk of suicide. These factors include clients being more likely to commit suicide when they begin feeling better after a time of great depression, if a person is isolated and doesn’t have many friends, or if a person has made previous suicide attempts (Farley et al., 2011). By completing this assessment and gauging the patient’s risk of suicide the social workers can provide the necessary resources and treatment for the patient that may very well save their lives.