Customer Inserts name of instructor:
(14th March 2016)
Mission Statement
EduCare’s mission is to provide care to the mentally challenged, critically ill, elderly, and substance abuse victims in the society (Texas). In particular, the organization is a non-profit firm dedicated to the provision of excellent services to humanity that enhances their living conditions, especially the mentally challenged. Through efficiency and effectiveness, EduCare ensures that persons with disability achieve the highest quality support. EduCare has over 30 years experience in providing mental health home services to clients in Texas.
The organization mission relates to social work practice whereby service is based on skill, compassion, respect and care. Service to persons with mental disability is part of social work practices that guarantees the well-being of society members affected by any mental illness.
Support to Social Work Practice
Services offered relate to ‘help care' but to health care. EduCare asserts that several persons in the society are affected by mental disability, chronic illnesses, as well as other disabilities. Besides, individuals affected with substance abuse need help so that they can live happily within the society. Persons with mental disability, as well as any other disability lose their neighborhoods and friends that enrich their lives. These people cannot take care of themselves. EduCare ensures that persons with mental disability receive ‘help care' regarding enriching their lives. In-home care services for the mentally challenged and the people affected by drug and substance abuse are provided to members of the society affected.
Ethical Codes
Ethical codes for EduCare relate to the privacy policy that guides service provision. In the privacy policy, EduCare abides by the law on privacy practices so that any medical information may not be disclosed. The organization also ensures that Protected Health Information (PHI) is not disclosed to other parties. Information on PHI involves demographic information, a health plan, or health care clearinghouse. EduCare is committed to the privacy of clients based on their past, present, or future mental health condition. Clients whose PHI has been breached are notified through HITECH notification requirements. The organization guarantees ethical practice by avoiding any breach of PHI information which can be used for financial, reputational, or any other harm to the mentally challenged in the society.
Organizational Structure
EduCare’s major funding sources are from ResCare as a parent company. EduCare is a subsidiary of ResCare. Within ResCare as the parent company for EduCare, major funding sources include the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, BBB Accredited Business, Magellan Health, and American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR).
Description of staff jobs and responsibilities
The chairperson ensures that EduCare avails clinical factors necessary for assessment of quality, cost, and outcomes. Besides, the chairperson ensures that public funding for mental health services is achieved within the organization. The vice-person supports the chairperson in developing public programs so that funding for mental health services is achieved. The chairperson and the vice-chairperson also ensure that clients are assessed based on Medicare eligibility within their states. The CEO also ensures that funding for mental health services is achieved. Further, the CEO ensures that private funding, as well as issues that affect access to service offered, is addressed. Other roles and responsibilities for the CEO involve providing recommendations that address quality of mental health programs and the needs of the organization. The principle ensures that psychiatrists employed within the organization promote quality care. Fundraisers are sponsor organizations that guarantee the sustainability of finances for the long-term service delivery. Further, volunteers ensure that service delivery is viewed as a responsibility of all members of the society.
Risk population served by the agency programs include persons with mental disability, the elderly and chronically ill persons, as well as substance abuse victims. Persons with mental disability as well as addicted substance abuse victims are risk population because they have lost care from friends and family members. In most states, people with mental health problems have no care as well as love from family and friends. EduCare ensures those substance abuse clients, as well as the mentally challenged receive home-living care so that their living conditions improve.
Race, gender, and ethnicity of mentally challenged persons, as well as substance abuse victims, do not influence their ability to receive help-care. It should be noted that EduCare provides help-care but not health-care. As a result, the primary role of the organization is to improve living conditions of the mentally challenged and substance abuse victims. Skill, compassion, respect and care are critical components of service delivery that enables the organization to assist clients. Further, provision is not influenced by changes in the social, political, or economic systems in the larger society.
Specific Program Components
Program components at EduCare include Concierge services, disease management, geriatric care management, life management, care medication management, and safe discharge. In the concierge services, program components include the provision of wheelchair and ambulance services to clients. Further, EduCare ensures that clients receive meal preparation services based on their health needs. Concierge services also relate to medication reminders, pet care, as well as safety and comfort check for mentally challenged and substance abuse victims in the society. Other services also include laundry and personal care. Personal care services offered include bathing, dressing, and toileting the client. Furthermore, EduCare provides nurse support. Nursing volunteers ensure that they provide wound care, diet guidance, and medical testing so that the customer feels appreciated and cared.
Disease management programs are provided through the ‘Telehealth program’. EduCare ensures that clients receive services in relation to chronic diseases so that they can live independently at home. The Telehealth technology enables EduCare to offer disease management services. Telehealth services assist social work providers to detect health problems then notify the client, family, doctor, or other healthcare professional based on privacy conditions established between the client and the family.
Geriatric care management programs are offered to clients with chronic physical and mental disability conditions so that professionals are coordinated in the process of providing quality care to clients. Geriatric support services are available to clients who experience difficulties in handling daily tasks based on mental confusion and physical decline. Clients experiencing increasing healthcare costs are also assisted through the geriatric care management program. The effectiveness of the services under geriatric programs ensures that EduCare provides preventive and proactive approaches to healthcare so that hospitalization does not become an option. Geriatric care is effective in social work practice that targets mentally challenged and substance abuse victims. Coordination, supervision, and professional assessment ensures that the mentally challenged and substance abuse victims visit homes and recommend services that improve the quality of life.
Life management programs assist the client to live based on their terms. Caregiver support services ensure that clients avoid hospital stays. EduCare prevents problems before they occur through the provision of services based on life management program. The services are useful because they guarantee wellness and prevention of conditions that lead to hospitalization. Mentally challenged, as well as substance abuse victims need life management programs so that they can live independently at home. Part of services that guarantee an independent stay at home include customized care for clients, meal and medication management, resource management, advise on treatment, and keep a record of outcomes.
Medication care management programs enable the client to keep up with medications from doctors and other professionals. EduCare ensures that the client does not make mistakes in relation to prescription drugs. Services in relation to medication care include: prescription drug reminders, refill notifications, administration of medication, delivery of medication, liaise with physicians for refills and follow-ups. EduCare medication care management is useful for the mentally challenged persons who many not have the mental ability to make decisions concerning prescription drugs. As a result, EduCare ensures that clients are not affected by non-compliance to prescription drugs which may lead to additional health challenges.
EduCare also ensures that clients receive safe and smooth transition from hospital to home. The safe discharge program ensures that caregivers at EduCare ensure that the client is settled at home before they depart. Another service also relates to shopping from the pharmacy, grocery, as well as other essentials delivered to the client’s home. Safe discharge programs are effective in ensuring that the client adapts effectively to the home environment after leaving hospital or rehabilitation centers. Without effective adaptation and assistance, clients cannot achieve success in relation to quality living condition.
Social worker roles utilized
The staff and volunteers provide social worker positions at EduCare. Volunteers engage in social work activities. Social worker roles at EduCare include providing help-care to substance abuse and mentally challenged persons in the society. In particular, social workers as volunteers ensure that the well-being and care of people and communities are achieved through the programs of EduCare. Examples of roles at EduCare include caring for the mentally ill, the sick, the elderly, and substance abuse victims. Home care, medication care, as well as geriatric care management are examples of social work roles utilized at EduCare. A social worker at EduCare assist clients manage meals and medication, bath clients, and accompany the client to social functions in the community. Further, social work roles for social workers at EduCare include offering laundry assistance as well as routine personal care. Social work roles are provided for families that need help because one of the family members may be struggling with drug and mental health problems. In the case of EduCare, social work roles ensure that persons with mental disability, as well as substance abuse victims, receive necessary care that improves their well-being in the society, especially when they do not have friends and family members to assist in performing daily tasks.
Social Work Skills
The first social work skill necessary while working is emotional intelligence 2013). Emotional intelligence relates to high levels empathy and sensitivity to clients. Persons with mental illness or disability and substance abuse persons need compassion from social workers so that they can feel appreciated in the society. The social worker must have the skills to read and understand what is said versus what intended is based on certain mental illnesses. Self-awareness, therefore, ensures that the social worker does not develop behaviors that lead to discrimination and ridicule towards the client.
Tolerance is another social work skill necessary to be effective. At EduCare, volunteers as social workers work with diverse clients. The social worker is required to be responsive to cultural differences so that they respond to clients from different racial, ethnic, and socio-economic communities. The social worker must be open in all situations so that tolerance to differences in culture is appreciated.
Evidence of generalist social work practice (examples)
According to Lacey (2005), a generalist social work practice is based on problem-solving so that social workers assess, counsel, educate, and organize with and on behalf of clients. In particular, a generalist social work practice involves working with families, clients, individuals, groups, and communities in a variety of social service settings. Social workers are adopting the generalist perspective, view clients from a strengths perspective so that they can support, identify, and recognize uniqueness and capabilities of clients.
Evidence of generalist social work practice at EduCare involves providing home care services such as meal preparation, provision of wheelchair services, laundry assistance, and routine personal support. Other examples of generalist social work practice at EduCare include coordination of services so that the client maximize quality of life, daily phone services, referral to professionals and specialist, nursing, and environment and safety evaluations.
Values or Value Conflicts
While working at EduCare as a volunteer, a social worker has individual values that guide their relationship with clients and the organization. One of the values relates to the need to respect and protect the dignity of all clients. All social workers must guarantee human rights. In particular, a social worker must uphold and promote the dignity and well-being of clients. Further, a social worker must respect the right to self-determination (own choices and decisions of clients). Values demonstrated by EduCare also involve a guarantee of privacy and confidentiality of clients as well as their medical conditions and information. Social workers are not allowed to reveal or disclose the medical condition of clients to other parties without the consent of the client. EduCare employs social workers such as caregivers, doctors, nurses, and other professionals. Volunteers work based on guidelines set by EduCare.
Volunteer Experience
Learning experience at EduCare involved working with clients to develop agreeable plans that respect the dignity and human rights of the client. There is a need to guarantee quality service through tolerance to the difference in culture. The experience gained enabled the social worker to provide services to clients from different ethnic, racial, and socio-economic background. Accommodation of differences in culture was necessary so that service provision in clients is not subject to prejudice. The client has exclusive rights to make decisions and choices without restrictions by the social worker
The three strengths demonstrated while working at EduCare involve empathy, values, and ethical practice. According to Cheng Yuk Tin (2011), empathy as part of emotional intelligence ensured that the client feels appreciated and respected despite their health condition. Respect to human rights enables the social worker to promote human dignity and well-being. I defended and upheld the clients’ physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual integrity
The three areas of development include endurance, professional integrity, and risk management. I realized that I cannot endure the suffering of other clients. Long-suffering of clients led to depression. As a social worker, endurance is necessary so that service delivery is not affected. Regarding professional integrity, I need to improve on honesty, reliability, and openness. I could not clearly explain my roles, interventions, and decisions without deceiving or manipulating the client. Risk management challenges related to assuring clients that behaviors and roles cannot harm them. I could not support clients to make informed decisions about medication and hygiene.
The experience has helped the desire for social work based on the number of people with mental disability, chronic diseases, and substance abuse problems. Social work aimed at helping society members and individuals improve the quality of life is fulfilling. The desire to assist humanity overcome challenges is a great motivation for social work practices and activities.
References
Cheng Yuk Tin, C. (2011). Is the development of an indigenous perspective on social work values justified? A preliminary conceptual exploration. China Journal of Social Work, 4(1), 83–94.
Lacey, D. (2005). Nursing Home Social Worker Skills and End-of-Life Planning. Social Work in Health Care, 40(4), 19–40.
