March is Social Work Month, when America celebrates the 700,000 social workers that enable seniors to live the fullest life possible. This year’s theme, “Social Workers are Essential,” calls out the vital role social workers have played during the COVID-19 pandemic.
No one understands this value better than Kadan Homecare’s clients and their families, who have worked with the company’s own second generation social worker, Jill Powell. Jill grew up seeing how her mother assisted individuals and families, and she knew social work was the career for her.
Armed with two social work degrees from the University of Georgia, Jill first worked at Atlanta Medical Center. That is where she experienced seniors’ difficulty in staying in their homes after an illness or hospitalization. Seeing how they and their families struggled to deal with the aging process motivated her to focus her career on seniors exclusively.
Jill joined the Kadan team more than a decade ago and has never looked back. She works with Kadan’s seniors, their families and their caregivers to navigate the complex world of aging. Because we only age once, having an informed guide who has been through the aging process before is invaluable. “For many of our families, having an aging parent is new,” Jill explained. “They need help to recognize how their senior is changing. As those needs evolve, these families also require assistance in finding the resources that can help their seniors live as full a life as possible.”
Social workers like Jill command an expertise that allows them to see the senior’s path before it presents itself. Anticipating the next phase of aging and how the senior’s life will change is knowledge that most families do not have. For example, many seniors are not able to return home or to an assisted living center after surgery or a medical procedure. Social workers can discuss with families what to expect after their senior is discharged from the hospital. Often that includes a transition to a rehabilitation center or another specialized care facility, arranging for a 24-hour rotation of caregivers until the senior is recovered and making physical accommodations to the senior’s living quarters.
“With the healthcare system as fragmented as it is, I realized that seniors needed an advocate who could look at their needs holistically and secure the resources they needed,” Jill explained. “Home care services often mean the difference between seniors staying in the homes they love or moving to a new location. Relocation can be emotionally and physically challenging for all of us, but seniors have the most difficulty with this transition.”
The pandemic continues to isolate vulnerable seniors in hopes of sparing them the virus. But that protection has created two troubling and unintended consequences for seniors: aggravated diagnoses and diminished mental health. “We were not made to live in isolation with no contact from other humans,” Jill said. “Remember to make a point to call, send cards, use Zoom and do drive byes – whatever is allowed. Let your senior know that this will pass, and you will be supporting them until it does. Even a visit through the door is better than nothing.”
Social workers offer families and caregivers the invaluable gift of encouraging and motivating seniors to take responsibility for the changes they are experiencing. Participating in their care helps seniors maintain a sense of control, Jill said. That participation can increase the enjoyment seniors derive from their lives even when today doesn’t resemble yesterday.
About a year ago, Jill’s job shifted and now she focuses on assisting Kadan Homecare’s 375 caregivers. “As a social worker, I used to help seniors function to the best of their ability and now I do that for our caregivers. Most caregivers, ours and others in the profession, have never had to work through a pandemic before. They need to be supported in new ways and I make that happen.”
“While the pandemic has been difficult for all of us, it has been especially hard for our caregivers who are still working even though their children may be at home,” Dina Kadan White explained. “Jill is now using her excellent problem-solving skills and network of resources to help our caregivers balance these increasing and ever-changing demands for their time.”
Jill was recently surprised to find a caregiver who had not worked much in recent weeks. “There is a shortage of caregivers right now,” Jill commented. “When I reached out to her, I discovered she needed help in finding hours and I was able to do that for her.”
Social work’s holistic approach to senior care provides resources and education to those in need – not just the senior but the family and caregiver as well. Kadan is extremely thankful to have Jill on their team!
