Overview

OVERVIEW

Social work is a helping profession. Social workers help patients to identify their social problem with the sole aim of proffering solutions. The following are some of the functions we undertake as social workers;

We carry out social assessment of the patients to identify his peculiar areas of need either in-patients or outpatient if cases are referred to us.

We are the link between the hospital and outside world, for example, we educate patients and their relations about the hospital services.

We mediate in conflict between our patients and their employers if such cases are referred to us by Doctors and willingly the inform consent is permitted by the patient themselves to help him or her.

We psycho-educate patients relative on how to cope with patients mental health  CHALLENGES. i.e. avoid harsh words on them, no matter the level of provocation, ensure use of medication and if patients is not cooperating what are things they need to do at home, we also counsel during and patients clinic to avoid relapse.

We educate them about the signs and symptoms of the illness when and how to observe it, both patient and their relatives is beneficiary of this enlightenment.

Social workers assist patients and their relation on how to resolve some of their social challenges because hey sometime run out of ideas on how to help themselves, due to the burden of the illness.

As helping profession, we educate our patients on how to help themselves by developing interest on social skill e.g. vocations or vocational training of their choices so as to prevent relapse because there is saying that says that an idle hand is a devil workshop and we do this by referring to them our occupational therapy department for assessment and training.

Sometimes we refer patients and their relations to other supportive agencies within the community where certain social services are rendered. For example, home placement like orphanage homes, facilities for mentally and physically challenged individuals and other rehabilitation centers.

We also visit homes for assessment and make appropriate suggestion or recommendation on how to help our patient’s i.e. this is carried out by collaborating with patient’s relations to work out modalities. We also visit home for assessment and make appropriate suggestion on recommendation on how to help our patients e.g. some environments might be hostile to patients so we recommend for change of environment in such cases.

We counsel our patients on the importance of the use of medications and follow up treatment.