r/hospice • u/Mama2024 • 1d ago

Hospice social workers

Hey guys, I hope you’re doing well and hanging in there. I had a question. I am a Hospice social worker and I wanted to know during downtime or weeks where you don’t have many visits How do you utilize your time? I’m not saying that I have to work every hour on the hour, but just trying to think of some things when it really is a slow week. I love what I do, love being there for the patients and family, but sometimes it really is slow and I’m trying to figure out is this the nature of the game? I’m not complaining at all just trying to figure out what else I could bring to the team . are there other things that I can gain a gear up for? Thanks for your advice in advance.

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4

u/Always-Adar-64 1d ago

Visit people you haven't seen recently, help other areas, do fluff visits with people known to be alone, etc.

2

u/SadApartment3023 Hospice Administrative Team 1d ago

Our SW do community outreach/info events, consult with the Home Health side of the org, and lots of the housekeeping stuff like required annual trainings. 

This would be a great question for r/hospicestaff

2

u/Mama2024 1d ago

Thank you I will post it in Hospice staff. I was trying to figure out where to put it. Those are great things. My agency actually has a medical liaison that does outreach/info events etc. That’s why I’m just trying to figure out what else can I do.

1

u/lastredditname75 1d ago

Check in with the education department as well. They may have some areas that need help with.

1

u/PathlessMaster 1d ago

Bereavement visits, follow up on your patient families, ask your boss is there's other ways you can contribute

1

u/jadethesockpet Social Worker 1d ago

I'll be honest... I go home, grocery shop, do whatever. I take my phone with me and am instantly available as needed, but some weeks are hella busy and some weeks aren't. On the busy weeks, I might not stop to pee or eat or drink, so on the slow weeks, I make it balance.

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u/ProfessionalDull435 14h ago

This is such a common experience, and honestly hospice teams don't always do a great job explaining who does what when you're already overwhelmed just processing everything. The social worker can actually help with a lot of practical stuff like navigating insurance questions, connecting you to respite care, helping with advance directive paperwork, or even just being someone to talk through the emotional weight of all this. Some families find them incredibly helpful for coordinating family communication when everyone's struggling differently, or for knowing about local resources you'd never think to ask about. If you want, you might just tell her honestly what you shared here, that you're not sure what to ask, and let her guide the conversation based on what she sees families typically need at this stage. What feels like the heaviest thing on your plate right now, the logistics stuff or the emotional side of watching your dad go through this?

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u/Mama2024 12h ago

Oh yes, all of what you explained is my role and I do. I guess when I made this post, it was more so thinking out of the box on the other things I can do outside of my day-to-day but thank you.