Gaining knowledge from individuals who are dying: the main element to excellent palliative care social work

Three weeks into my social work training I began a placement in a hospice. Over the 50 days that I worked there, most of the people who I worked with died. I begun pondering just what social work can present to individuals who are dying. I concluded the position wishing every social worker had the chance to learn from people going through death. Their experience of loss and resilience, and also the opportunity to see approaches to be alongside individuals in those situations, goes to the center of what social work does well.

 

I've just been linked to a notable working group which has produced a fresh resource for social workers: The role of social work in palliative, end of life and death care. This resource goals to make certain that individuals take advantage of superior social work at the end of their life, and also that family and friends close to them are supported throughout this period and into bereavement.

 

Lived experience

 

The resource has been jointly made by social workers and individuals with lived experience of terminal care. Throughout, it reveals those experiences and these identify the strategies that social workers can make a difference when working together with those people who are dying or bereaved.

 

Here are a couple of the major messages from the resource for social work practice, alongside the voices of those with lived experience:

 

1. ‘I would like health workers to be positive and express what is happening in the correct way without getting negative. I am extremely optimistic about my life.’ (Phone interview with woman who uses a drop in centre). Social workers can acknowledge people’s requirement of acknowledgement and for a person to listen to them. We can indicate confidence and sensitivity in obtaining the best time to discuss death and dying, in order that persons can be in control, plan ahead and achieve the most important thing to them.

 

2. ‘It is going to be my wife who makes choices for me, when I’m no longer able. But I have it all down on paper, points of importance to me. It’s all down on paper.’ (Man in his 80's attending a hospice day centre). Social workers can support individuals to make decisions, advocate for, and also challenge with and on account of people. Where necessary, we can make use of the law to allow people to be in control.

 

3. ‘Enabling men and women to live their lives just as they want - it’s more than the medicine, it is something aside from treatment. Ease and comfort? Reassurance?’ (Bereaved man in his sixties). Social workers may make sure that someone’s experience is at the centre of just what happens. We can easily utilize evidence, law and systems to allow people to live the lifestyles they desire.

 

4. ‘I don’t want sympathy, only support. I don’t like people feeling sorry for me. It’s some support, I guess, useful support.’ (Woman attending a drop in centre, age undiscovered). Social workers can assist men and women to realise their very own capabilities and mobilise their very own resources, provide information and also functional support, coordinate services and also discuss solutions. Where needed, we can take care of forms.

 

5. ‘I don't like it, whenever people who have not been ill say to you ‘Oh you are so courageous!’ I dispise that. I simply want to be treated as me. Just see me as I was and lose focus on cancer. It’s not all I am.’ (Lady in her 60's/70's in a hospice day centre). Social workers can help men and women to preserve their identity in spite of change. We are able to help people to accumulate memories and also to leave memories behind.

 

6. ‘It has become challenging to ask for help, I didn’t want to and I couldn’t ? However I am coming round. I know it is incurable and I know I need help now.’ (Female in her 60s/70s inside a hospice day centre). Social workers can embrace diverse requirements and develop alternative ways of supporting people. We are able to explain how care will work and help individuals know how to access critical support.

 

7. ‘People have to know how bloody tough this is going to be. We shouldn’t shield people. This isn’t likely to be easy. It’s going to be bloody challenging.’ (Bereaved spouse in his 60's). Social workers can certainly help people close to somebody that is dying to discover the help and support they need. We can help people take care of practicalities right after death and follow up with people who are bereaved in the way that actually works best for them.

 

Perspective for palliative care social work

 

Our vision for social work in palliative, end-of-life and also bereavement care is that: men and women will have accessibility to a palliative care social worker with the capabilities and resources to assist them as soon as they need it, and also all social workers will be able to help people, their loved ones, and others close to them to know the value of the things they can do and give to one another at the end of their life and throughout bereavement, and to obtain the help and support they need.

 

 

Here is exactly what a few of the social workers we spoke said about their role:

 

‘Tom had a huge impact on the whole staff team and I organised a reflective space the next week for employees to express memories and views of their work with him and also the family. It was well attended and enabled us all to convey our emotions. Rest In Peace Tom.’ (End-of-life care social worker). Palliative care social employees are a source of expertise and support for additional occupations and agencies. They are able to boost awareness, coach and provide help and advice to other people. They're able to perform research and collect proof of exactly what facilitates a good passing.

 

‘We work holistically, combining emotional and practical skills, to enable men and women to accomplish precisely what matters most to them. We are active in enhancing things, we are accommodating and adaptive, and we are at our very best as enablers when we're least conspicuous.’ (Resource working group). All social workers really need to be willing to support those who are at the end of their life, experiencing loss or perhaps bereaved.

 

The social work engagement

 

We hope that the resource will be used by palliative care social workers to increase knowledge of their function and the involvement they are able to make, and by people who are dying and others close to them to obtain social work help and support. We hope that social workers will make use of the resource to review their practice, and also to identify the support they have to develop their knowledge and skills.

 

Business employers, leaders, commissioners, funders, colleagues from other vocations and educators can make use of this resource to discover the contribution that social workers can make, and also to distinguish how to assist and develop this area of practice.

 

Most of all, we hope that the accounts of people’s ordeals will make it possible for social workers to enhance our capability to support men and women at this complicated and profoundly human time.