Social worker

 Provide support to the family as well as advice regarding financial, transport and respite care. The role of the social worker include:

 

•  Easing spiritual pain by referral to services i.e. chapliancy

 

• Advice patients if they are elegible for grants to help subsidise extra costs associated with the disease i.e disabilty allowance for under people aged under 65 who have problem with mobility, or attendance allowance for those aged over 65 who have difficulty in completion of  daily activities such as dressing or cooking.

 

• Advice carers if entitled to carers allowance

 

•  Organise respite care to provide carers with the opportunity to take a break from caring which can be stressful.

 

• Organisation of bereavement support for the surviving families such as group counselling

 

• Help the families to break bad news to younger members of the family by rehearsing what to say and how to reply to difficult questions. 

 

• Social workers can help parents and children to make memory boxes which acts as a reminder of the memories shared with loved ones. This is a box which contains memories of the deceased such as photos, drawings, information about the loved one and recording of favourite music. 

 

• Source of emotional support for families