Did or do you have a social worker during cancer experience?

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murrayy
murrayy Member Posts: 1
in Caregivers #1

Dear Community,

 

I am a cancer patient and law professor and I am now writing about the availability of social workers after diagnosis.  I did not know that such resources were available, and am now wondering how many in our community accesses social work services.  My questions are:  1) did you have a social worker; 2) if yes, how were they assigned; 3) why did you get one?  4) did they provide you with needed help?  4) if you did NOT get a social worker, why? 5) do you wish you had had more information about their availability?  6) if you did not receive sufficient help from a social worker, was it because the one assigned to you was overtaxed with clients or because you were simply not given enough information? 7) in the area of cancer and social work, are there any policy changes that you think need to occur? Which ones?

 

Any responses to these questions would be very welcome.

 

Thank you,

 

Yxta Murray

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  • ClaCla
    ClaCla Member Posts: 136 Member
    #2
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    Only at the Hospital

    Each time I've been in the hospital, a social worker has stopped by about a day before my release to make sure I had support at home.  Fortunately, I have had the support I needed.  Aside from that, they have sometimes sent a homecare nurse to check up on me.  The same social worker protocol was followed for my sister-in-law, who my husband and I cared for.

  • k2oly
    k2oly Member Posts: 13
    #3
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    yes, thankfully!

    1) did you have a social worker.  yes.

    2) if yes, how were they assigned. there was no "assigning". i reached a point of burnout and asked my therapist if she knew of free or low-cost support for caregivers. she told me about a colleague who used to be an oncology social worker (full-time on-staff at a local cancer center) who is now working solely with dementia patients and their loved ones. at that point, i looked for other similar resources. i discovered that there were full-time oncology social workers on-staff t the cancer center where my loved one (best friend who has no family so i'm "it") is being treated. i met with one and it was so helpful that i continue working with her.

    3) why did you get one?  i was feeling totally overhwelmed and burnt out and feeling lost when trying to figure out how to cope with the cognitive changes that my BFF was experiencing. we're not only BFFs, we jointly bought a property with side-by-side houses on it just prior to her diagnosis. so we have lots of interactions related to sharing the same yard, garage, etc. that is, lots of discussions about what is stored where (or whether i moved something she can't find in the garage), who is going to do what yardwork and when, etc. trying to communicate with someone with chemo brain is crazy-making. there are so many landmines! i wanted to talk with someone who could help me navigate conversations and interactions in ways that were helpful to my BFF and also to me. 

    4) did they provide you with needed help?  yup.

    4) if you did NOT get a social worker, why? NA

    5) do you wish you had had more information about their availability?  absolutely! i wish i didn't have to go searching for help. i wish it was better advertised.

    6) if you did not receive sufficient help from a social worker, was it because the one assigned to you was overtaxed with clients or because you were simply not given enough information? NA

    7) in the area of cancer and social work, are there any policy changes that you think need to occur? Which ones? i'm not sure i understand the question. whose policies: local cancer center, national orgs, local jurisdictions, federal jurisdictions, or... ?

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