March is Social Work Month – a time to recognize the meaningful supports social workers provide each and every day.
Registered Social Workers (RSWs) are the largest providers of mental health care in Ontario and work with those in need of support through a process of assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation, according to the Ontario Association of Social Workers.
In long-term care homes, RSWs are allied health care professionals who provide psycho-social support, mental health care and case management services for residents and their family members and provide resources for staff. But many homes were noticing that Registered Social Workers (RSWs) spent most of their time supporting admissions – which meant less time was spent providing ongoing psycho-social support, counselling, and psychotherapy to all residents and their families.
Entering long-term care is a big change and it is critical to make that transition a positive experience. During the admission process, social workers partner with residents and their families to support a smooth transition, provide a warm welcome and identify how best to make their next chapter feel like home.
As the acute impacts of the pandemic have waned, teams at Extendicare’s long-term care homes in the eastern Greater Toronto Area noticed that RSWs were not working to the full scope of their clinical practice. RSWs were focusing most of their time working with new residents during the admissions process, restricting the amount of time RSWs had available to provide broader psycho-social support, counselling, and psychotherapy to residents and their families on an ongoing basis.
To increase the amount of time social workers can spend directly with residents, multiple homes in the region onboarded Registered Social Service Workers (RSSWs) to work as Admissions Coordinators (ACs) and dedicate focus to social services support for residents during their pre-admission and admission transition into long-term care to prevent service delivery gaps and ensure access to support. Liane Mateer, who has been working at Extendicare Oshawa as an Admissions Coordinator for almost two years, underscored the value and purpose-driven fulfillment social work offers in long-term care.
“As soon as I saw the job posting for my current role, I was so excited and applied right away”, Mateer said. “The Social Work Project gives registered social service workers, such as myself, a huge opportunity. I absolutely love my job.”
A typical day for Liane involves helping new and prospective residents navigate the admissions process into long-term care. Liane reviews admission applications for prospective residents, hosts tours and regular check-ins with new residents and their family members to ensure a smooth transition into long-term care. When social workers at Extendicare Oshawa are away, she checks in with residents who need social work support so that they receive the care they need in a timely manner.
Enhancing social work resources at participating homes has yielded impactful results:
- More time for care: The amount of time RSWs have available to provide enhanced support to residents has increased significantly. At one Extendicare home in Scarborough, Extendicare Guildwood, time spent between residents and RSWs at was able to increase by 75%.
- Improved mental health service delivery: RSSWs can work closely with residents during the admissions process, a time that can be very challenging and overwhelming for new residents.
- We will continue to advance our ongoing commitment to improve the quality of life for those we care for. To learn more about our plan to improve care, every day, visit Improving Care Plan.
