How our social services can help you
Being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia impacts the lives of not only the patient but also the life of their entire family and caregiving team. Social Workers can help people with memory impairment and their families navigate all of the different challenges that come with Alzheimer’s and dementia and provide them with a thorough tool kit on how to live life fully with the disease. Having that big-picture view of this illness — that makes the Social Worker a good resource. Because every family is different and because no one case of Alzheimer’s or dementia is the same, there isn’t a specific strategy or system that Social Workers consistently follow to help people with the disease and their caregivers.
Here are some of the ways a social worker can help:
- Social Workers have to know all the practical resources. For instance, Medicaid is the only payer for long-term care, and a lot of people don’t know how to navigate it. Navigating this process is something a social worker knows how to do.
- A Social Worker can assist in the emotional impact of a new diagnosis.
- There is a wide variety of services to help you impacted by Alzheimer’s or dementia, ranging from community agencies to city- or state-wide free services to family support programs sponsored by universities.
- Beyond helping families find these tools, Social Workers can help generally improve the quality of life patients, as well as their caregivers and loved ones. For those interested in finding a dementia Social Worker check-in with Riverstone Senior Life Services. We are here to help!