Social Work Commons^™

What Is The Importance Of Social Work Involvement In Hospice Care Transitions For Ill Children And Their Families, Natalie Rodas, Guillermina Morales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Thousands of children who face terminal illnesses die annually in the United States, 10% of those children and their families have hospice care services available. Through this study, the importance of social work involvement in hospice care transitions for ill children and their families were examined. Due to the scarcity of social work in hospice care settings, this study helped amplify research on the importance of social workers in hospice care for ill children and their families. The study consisted of individual interviews held via Zoom with medical social workers that have experience working in pediatric hospice care. The individual …

The Importance Of Self-Care Among Hospice Social Workers, Lillianna Gomez, Divina Perez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social workers in general face daily challenges, but social workers in the field of hospice face unique daily stressors. The purpose of this study was to investigate what self-care methods hospice social workers use to combat burnout and compassion fatigue. One hundred hospice social workers were surveyed. Researchers used two scales to measure participants’ current self-care methods and their current quality of life. Researchers used two tailed Pearson test to analyze relationships between self-care and burnout as well as self-care and compassion satisfaction. Researchers also utilized various SPSS tests to analyze the relationship between demographics and self-care method. Participants reported …

Barriers To The Use Of Palliative And Hospice Care Among The Latino Population, Diana Ramirez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Patients suffering from irreversible and terminal illnesses may benefit from the services provided by Palliative and Hospice Care to control any symptom burden and assist in navigating complex medical decisions. Many patients may express hesitation in accepting and enrolling to this service due to misconceptions. Language barriers may add an additional layer of complexity. This study explored the challenges Palliative Care providers encounter when introducing concept of hospice to Spanish-speaking patients their families for the first time. This study implemented qualitative research methods by using semi-structured one-on-one interviews. Ten members of an In-patient Palliative Care Team at a University Hospital …

Appreciation Day For Clinical Staff At Vna Hospice, Melody Nguyen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

VNA Hospice of the Central Coast is a nonprofit that was created back in 1951. The staff at VNA are visiting about 75,000 homes per year. Throughout the years the staff have been seeing patients who reached the requirement of having 6 months or less to live. Working with Hospice patients can be hard for everyone but, the staff at VNA are seeing the patients from good days and bad days. Depression is known to negatively impact the clinical staff at VNA Hospice. Staff are working long hours which leads to sleep disturbance and chronic stress. Some staff are also …

Coping With Death, Quality Of Life, And Compassion Fatigue Among Hospice Social Workers, Virgen L. Dominguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates that working with dying patients and their families could causeemotional reactions that not only affect their well-being but their quality of life and desire to continue in their profession. Although researchers have examined compassion fatigue among other professionals, there is a gap in research on the phenomenon among hospice social workers. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to obtain a richer understanding about how hospice social workers cope with death, what their experiences are with compassion fatigue, and how their quality of life is impacted by their work. The conceptual framework was the transactional theory of …

Hospice Social Workers Beliefs, Ethics, And Values: How Do They Affect Terminal Clients Requesting Physician Assisted Suicide?, Jazmine Camacho, Jessica Huver

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Since the enactment of California’s End of Life Option Act in 2016, physician assisted suicide (PAS) has become increasingly relevant within the field of medical social work. As a result, social workers will find themselves educating and assisting clients on EOLO. Research suggests that the amount of education and training received regarding PAS all had an impact on social workers’ perceived preparedness to discuss PAS as and EOLO. Additionally, research indicates that social workers collectively support and have a positive attitude towards PAS; however, there is little research that explores the extent to which a social worker’s personal values and …

Hospice Interdisciplinary Use Of The Social Work Assessment Tool For Military Families, Miranda Lishell Rankin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The development of the social work assessment tool (SWAT) was an initiative designed by members of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization to move hospice and palliative care social workers into the arena of viewing the family as an extension of the patient. Of those dying in the United States, 1 out of 4 is a military veteran (vet) in need of assessments, culturally relevant interventions, and/or supports at the end of life. For military families, caring for vets at the end of life can prompt stressors that may require culturally unique assessments and/or interventions. Tsai’s (2003) theory of …

Home Health Care Resource Binder: A User-Friendly Guide For Crossroads Hospice And Palliative Care, Deanna Eder

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Patients and families searching for home health care need accurate information regarding the community resources available to them to promote aging in place and to maintain their quality of life. In connection to the social workers at Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care, the researcher identified a need for a centralized source of up-to-date information regarding local home health care agencies due to the current resource deficit. Social workers and other health care professionals are expected to benefit from a concise list of resources readily available to provide their patients and families with adequate support to make informed decisions about a …

End Of Life Care, Ana Mederos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Central Coast Visiting Nurses Association is a non-profit agency that provides home health care as well as hospice care for individuals in the counties of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara. In this region, the Latino/ Hispanic communities are underutilizing the services for end of life care. According to statistics provided by VNA 2019, only around 20% of the populations they serve are Latino/ Hispanics. Education on end of life care services is necessary for an individual to have a better understanding and quality of life during the end stage or confronted with a life limiting illness. In …

Exploring Social Worker Knowledge, Conceptualization, And Use Of Cultural Humility In Hospice, Shelby L. Schiller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This capstone project examined social workers’ knowledge, values, and beliefs as related to the concept of cultural humility to determine how hospice care professionals treat patients’ cultural preferences and traditions with respect and sensitivity at the end of life; as such practices have the ability to improve the hospice experience. Research questions addressed in the study (a) how social workers in Nevada define cultural humility in the context of hospice social work practice, (b) the values or principles hospice social workers in Nevada consider most important in providing culturally appropriate care to hospice patients, and (c) the ways hospice social …

Hospice Social Workers’ Attitude On Physician-Assisted Suicide And Practice Under California’S End Of Life Option Act, Veronica Lorraine Fausto Melchor

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Currently in the United States, five states have enacted physician-assisted suicide as a legal end of life option for terminal patients. Research indicates that most patients who have died under this mean have been enrolled in hospice services. With the recent enactment of California’s End of Life Option Act, hospice social workers will find themselves educating and assisting patients and/or their families with this and other end of life decisions. Research has thoroughly examined physician and nurses’ involvement and attitude in the matter, but little has been researched regarding social workers. This study aimed to identify the factors that affect …

Making It Right In The End: Conflict On The Hospice Interdisciplinary Team, Sarah Green

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the role of social workers in addressing conflict on the hospice interdisciplinary team. Seven semi-structured interviews were completed to generate qualitative data from licensed social workers on hospice interdisciplinary teams in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A brief review of literature showed there are many causes of conflict on the hospice interdisciplinary team including role blurring, leadership in the interdisciplinary team, and physical aspects of care superseding psychosocial. There are many studies exploring social work roles on the hospice interdisciplinary team, factors contributing to success on an interdisciplinary team in a …

Interventions To Alleviate The Psychosocial Needs Of Hospice Family Caregivers: A Systematic Review, Nicole Engen

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Hospice care is a growing service to individuals with terminal and chronic illnesses to promote quality of life and comfort versus treatment at the end of their life. The support of hospice care extends to the family of hospice patients. Many patients who wish to receive hospice care at home have involvement from family to become their primary caregiver. This systematic review was designed to answer the question, what interventions are available to alleviate the psychosocial needs of hospice family caregivers. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria set for this study 11 articles met criteria to be analyzed. Two …

Hospice Social Workers' Roles And Responsibilities Within Interdisciplinary Hospice, Amy Marie Coffell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The role of the hospice social worker is unclear and misunderstood by interdisciplinary team members due to role blurring, communication challenges, and poor collaboration efforts. This is important because these actions may result in decreased quality of patient care and decreased quality of life for the clinical hospice social workers. The purpose of this action research project was to explore communication, role blurring, professional activities and abilities, and cohesive goals among hospice clinical social workers. The theoretical foundation for this research was the model of interdisciplinary collaboration (MIC) which was used to describe both the concepts of interdisciplinary collaboration and …

Perceptions Of Hospice Among Social Work Students: The Influences Of Sociodemographic Factors, Delia Vanessa Valenzuela

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The older adult population is rapidly growing along with the use and continued need for hospice care services. Due to these circumstances there is on ongoing demand for experienced and knowledgeable social workers to meet the unique needs of this population. Research in this study indicates that social workers currently working in the hospice field do not feel adequately prepared to work with dying and bereaved patients. Furthermore, research shows a lack of education within social programs and social work textbooks regarding the subject of end of life care. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding …

Implementation And Utilization Of Alternative Interventions In Hospice, Kayle Jo Dietrich

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Considerations For Working With Hispanic/Latino Patients Receiving Hospice: Social Workers’ Perspectives, Elizabeth Turbak

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Hospice care provides physical, emotional, and spiritual support to patients with a terminal illness and their families through the end of one’s life. Social workers are a part of the multidisciplinary team that support patients and families along with nurses, chaplains, and other disciplines. While this service at the end of life is meant for anyone in need, of the patients receiving hospice annually, only 6% are Hispanic/Latino. Previous research identifies that there are several barriers to the Hispanic/Latino population accessing hospice care. With both the aging and Hispanic/Latino populations dramatically on the rise in the U.S., this research set …

Exploring The Relationships Between Spiritual Well-Being, Team Regard And Turnover Intention Of Hospice Social Workers: The Mediating Role Of Job Satisfaction, Kimberly Lynn Sangster

Dissertations

According to the US census bureau there are approximately 15,500,000 million Americans over the age of 65 years in 2015. As the population ages and prepares to die, people will need access to quality hospice and end-of-life care. Key to delivery of quality care is experienced hospice social workers. Multiple regression and mediation analysis were applied to explain the path relationships involving the variables of spiritual well-being, an innovative operationalization of the concept of team regard, job satisfaction and turnover intentions of hospice social workers in Medicare-certified hospice programs in the state of Illinois. Other variables in this study included …

Hospice Social Work And The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, Christine A. Couture

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore how hospice social workers based at United States hospice agencies perceive changes in their work responsibilities in relation to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Secondly, this study sought to explore hospice social worker support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act healthcare policy reform.

A nonprobability sample of availability was used to find research participants. The researcher recruited participants through online social and professional networking groups and forums and by snowball sampling methods. Self-selected participants electronically confirmed their eligibility for participation in the study, prior to completing the 20-question online …

Hispanics' Under-Utilization Of Hospice Care Services, Ian M. Montoya

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to learn about Hispanics’ utilization of hospice care and to increase knowledge about under-utilization of hospice services by the Hispanic community. Research in hospice services indicates that the Hispanic community underutilizes end-of-life resources when compared to their majority counterparts, European Americans. Research that has controlled for variables such as socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, prognosis, and access to health care demonstrate Hispanics significantly under-utilizing hospice services. This project was conducted within Southern California in the cities of Riverside and Anaheim which are predominantly Hispanic communities. A quantitative design was used to explore the perspectives of …

How Hospice Social Workers Make Sense Of Religious And Cultural Diversity As It Relates To Death And Dying, Andrea S. Hanson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Hospice care has become a popular care concept among medical fields and with patients and family members who are terminally ill or have entered into the final stages of their life. Cultural competency is important to the social work profession and it is especially crucial to respecting the culture of a client and his/her loved ones at the end of life. Within the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro, local hospice social workers encounter the culture and religions of various Asian, African, Middle-Eastern and Latino clients. I specifically sought to analyze data from qualitative, semi-structured interviews with six local hospice social workers with …

Experiencing Joy: Personal Narratives Of Hospice And Palliative Care Social Workers, Kyle Paige Murray

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

A vast majority of the existing research explores the negative impacts that the profession of social work has on its practitioners. Much attention has been given to topics like secondary or vicarious trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue. There are far fewer studies that explore the positive aspects of social work practice. The concept of joy is often missing from the literature about social work. The purpose of this study was to explore the narratives of joy of social workers practicing in hospice and palliative care. Using an exploratory qualitative design, eight graduate level social workers were interviewed about their experiences …

Differences In Hospice Care Between Veterans And Non-Veterans, Tonia Smith

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The differences in hospice care needs between United States veterans and non-veterans was explored using a systematic review research methodology that consisted of 18 articles. After a review of previous research studies, it was found that veterans tended to want their healthcare providers to be more open and to the point about their diagnosis than non-veterans did. Both non-veterans and veterans wanted to be in control of their end of life cares. Non-veterans were more likely to want their family and friends around compared to veterans who were less likely to want people around. Veterans who had post-traumatic stress disorder …

Hospice Social Workers’ Perspectives On Place Of Death Congruence: A Qualitative Study, Florence Wright

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This qualitative research study was designed to explore place of death congruence among hospice patients from the subjective experiences and perspectives of hospice social workers. A semi-structured interview with nine hospice social workers served as the primary means of data collection within the present study. Using content analysis with descriptive phenomenology, dominant and underlying themes were identified, refined, and subsequently confirmed through a reliability check. From the establishment and verification of themes and sub-themes, the research questions were answered. The results of this study indicate that patients generally prefer to die in a place they call “home,” including: private residences, …

Hospice Patient's Perception Of Family Support, Claudia Renteria

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative and quantitative study focused on exploring hospice patient’s perceptions of family support. Family support was conceptualized as which family member they expect to receive support from, types of support provided, frequency of support, family communication about medical illness, and type of support that is perceived to be most helpful. Fifteen partcipants between the ages of 70 to 98 were interviewed using purposive sampling. Findings showed that although participants found both physical and emotional support helpful, more than half reported perceiving emotional support as the most helpful. Recommendations for social work practice and research were discussed.

Emotional Care In The Nursing Home Setting, Trista Pohlman

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This research project examines emotional care provided to nursing home residents, prior to them being hospice qualified. Hospice offers a continuum of care that has documented success. In review of the literature, it appears that the nursing home setting provides a set of standards for how needs are responded to that inhibit the type of care hospice is able to provide. By conducting qualitative semi-structured interviews of six employees working in the role of case management in a nursing home setting, an analysis by phenomenological method was done and several themes were found. The following themes emerged: The following themes …

Boundaries, Hospice And Rural Communities: Social Workers’ Perspective, Haylee Erin Spronk

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

In the past years, the utilization of hospice has increased greatly from previous years and is expected to only increase. This increase is not only found in urban communities but in rural communities as well. Previous research exemplifies that professional boundaries can be different in rural communities than in urban communities. This research set out to explore how rural hospice social workers maintain professional boundaries through eight (n=8) semi-structured interviews. The findings, developed through an open-coding process, included the following themes: the rural community and the grocery store experience, maintaining professional boundaries, and methods to helping professional boundaries …

Best Practices Of Hospice Social Workers Who Work With Families Experiencing Grief And Loss, Bethany Butzow

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This qualitative study examined the best practices of hospice social workers who work with patients and families during their hospice journey. Data was collected through semi-structured standardized interviews with hospice social workers currently working in the area. Open coding methods were used to inductively analyze codes in the data and to find common themes from the interviews. Themes that emerged from this study were separated into three categories: family roles and functioning, collaboration among the interdisciplinary team, and the hospice social worker role. Additionally, sub themes that correlated with these three major findings were discussed. The majority of the findings …

The Mediating Role Of Social Support And Fulfillment Of Spiritual Needs In End Of Life Care, Kimberley A. Gryglewicz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

End of life (EOL) caregiving can be a daunting and challenging endeavor as caregivers adjust to the ever-changing care demands associated with dying. Increased personal care, assisting with symptom and medication management, and attending to the emotional and spiritual needs of the dying person require caregivers to learn new tasks and to assume new roles such as social worker, nurse, and chaplain. As families continue to play an essential role in meeting the health care needs of their dying loved ones, it is imperative for social workers to understand the complexities of the end of life caregiving experience in order …

Informal Caregivers Of Advanced Cancer Patients: The Impact Of Geographic Proximity On Social Support And Bereavement Adjustment, John Garland Cagle

Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the social and psychological needs of caregivers of advanced cancer patients, and their subsequent bereavement adjustment. The study focuses exclusively on informal caregivers who provide assistance to patients receiving hospice care for end-stage cancer. Those individuals living furthest from the dying care recipient, the long distance caregivers, were of particular interest. This study used a prospective design to explore how a caregiver's geographic proximity impacted their social support and bereavement adjustment. A 2 x 3 repeated measures design was used to gather data from caregivers before a patient's death (using a pre-death questionnaire) as well as after …