Assistente Social na Consulta de Geriatria
“Within the scope of the Cuidar e Viver project, Social Work as part of the multidisciplinary team aims to contribute with its knowledge to a holistic perspective of the situation. For the geriatric population and attentive to the complexity of the aging process, the Social Worker seeks to develop a set of actions aimed at protecting, recovering or maintaining quality of life, contributing to a balanced, active and healthy aging process for the elderly.
Roles of the Social Worker in the Geriatrics Consultation
- Promoting a space for individual and quality care with a comprehensive look at the situation of the elderly;
- Listening to the needs of the elderly / gathering information for diagnosis and social assessment / home visits for complementary assessment.
- Clarify the elderly about their rights and duties; informing you about existing resources in services and in the community;
- Guide and support the individual and socio-family experience of the disease, helping the elderly in their choices, making them agents of their recovery and/or maintenance of their health;
- Mediate the relationship between the patient, therapeutic team, family and community, promoting articulation between the various entities involved;
- Accompanying problematic social situations of the elderly, mobilizing them in the search for adequate resources to their needs;
- Be alert to suspected violations of rights against the elderly and make complaints, if found, to the competent authorities;
- Promote integration in institutions, programs or social projects, seeking mechanisms that value and encourage the participation of the elderly in the process of active, autonomous and independent aging;
In short, the Social Worker in the Cuidar e Viver project is a professional who intends to respond in a timely manner to the requests made by the elderly with a view to promoting the maintenance and improvement of their living conditions and social inclusion.”