Research shows that few social workers are interested in working with cognitively impaired older adults, such as those with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. As the number of individuals with dementia grows, the demand for social workers to provide services to patients with dementia will increase. Although much attention has been given to…

In a struggle to balance fiscal realities with hospice philosophy, some hospices have attempted to cut costs by reducing social work involvement. This cross-sectional survey of 66 hospices found, however, increased social work involvement was significantly associated with lower hospice costs. Additional benefits included better team functioning,…

Obtained data in hospices (N=34) from social workers, nurses, and volunteers on how frequently and for how long they performed 27 social service activities. Found that social workers were employed part time and did not play a unique role in service provision, but that nurses were employed full time and provided social services. (Author/ABB)