JAMDA
Volume 10, Issue 1 , Pages 36-44 , January 2009

Characteristics of Nursing Home Social Services Directors: How Common is a Degree in Social Work?

  • Mercedes Bern-Klug, PhD, MSW

      Affiliations

    • The School of Social Work and The Aging Studies Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to Mercedes Bern-Klug, PhD, MSW, The School of Social Work and The Aging Studies Program, Room 308 North Hall, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
    • ,
  • Katherine W.O. Kramer, MA

      Affiliations

    • College of Public Health/Epidemiology Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
    • ,
  • Grace Chan, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington CT
    • ,
  • Rosalie Kane, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Health Policy & Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
    • ,
  • Lorraine T. Dorfman, PhD

      Affiliations

    • The School of Social Work, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
    • ,
  • Jennifer B. Saunders, MSW

      Affiliations

    • Social Work Research Consultant, Denver, CO

References 

  1. Code of Federal Regulations. Public health, Title 42, Volume 4, Chapter IV, part 483, Sub-Part A, Section 483.15. Revised as of October 1, 2006. http://frwebgate4.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=19378031214+12+0+0&WAISaction=retrieveAccessed December 20, 2007
  2. NASW Code of Ethics. http://www.socialworkers.org/nasw/naswbrochure.pdfAccessed May 30, 2008
  3. NASW LTC standards. http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/standards/NASWLongTermStandards.pdfAccessed May 30, 2008
  4. CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. http://www.cswe.org/NR/rdonlyres/2A81732E-1776-4175-AC42-65974E96BE66/0/2008EducationalPolicyandAccreditationStandards.pdfAccessed June 1, 2008
  5. Bern-Klug M. State variations in nursing home social worker qualifications. J Gerontol Soc Work. In press.
  6. Simons K. Organizational characteristics influencing nursing home social service directors' qualifications: A national study. Health Soc Work. 2006;31:266–274
  7. Malench S. Family and social work roles in the long-term care facility. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2004;43:59–60
  8. Parker-Oliver D, Kurzejeski LS. Nursing home social services: Policy and practice. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2004;42:37–50
  9. O'Neill C, Harrington C, Kitchener M, Saliba D. Quality of care in nursing homes: An analysis of relationships among profit, quality, and ownership. Med Care. 2003;41:1318–1330
  10. Castle N, Engberg J. Organizational characteristics associated with staff turn-over in nursing homes. Gerontologist. 2006;46:62–73
  11. Harrington C, Woolhandler S, Mullan J, et al. Does investor ownership of nursing homes compromise the quality of care?. Am J Public Health. 2001;91:1452–1455
  12. National Association of Social Workers. NASW Clinical Indicators for Social Work and Psychosocial Services in Nursing Homes. http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/standards/nursing_homs.aspAccessed July 1, 2007
  13. IASWR. Evaluating social work services in nursing homes: Toward quality psychosocial care and its measurement (Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research). http://charityadvantage.com/iaswr/NHBFINAL.pdfAccessed June 27, 2007
  14. Dillman DA. Mail and Internet Surveys (The Tailored Design Method). 2nd ed.. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 2000;
  15. Beaulieu EM. A Guide for Nursing Home Social Workers. New York: Springer; 2002;
  16. Vourlekis BS, Greene RR, Gelfand DE, Zlotnik JL. Searching for the doable in nursing home social work practice. Soc Work Health Care. 1992;17:45–70
  17. US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Psychosocial Services in Skilled Nursing Facilities (Document number OEI-02–01–00610). http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-02-01-00610.pdfAccessed November 3, 2007
  18. American Geriatrics Society and American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Consensus statement in improving the quality of mental health care in US nursing homes: Management of depression and behavioral symptoms associated with dementia. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003;51:1287–1298
  19. Bern-Klug M, editor. Transforming Psychosocial End-of-Life Care in the Nursing Home: The Social Work Role. Columbia University Press, in preparation.

 This project was supported by a John A. Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Award to Dr. Bern-Klug. Drs. Kane and Dorfman served as mentors on the Hartford Project. Additional support was provided through awards from the Old Gold Summer Fellowship and the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, both of the University of Iowa. The authors would like to acknowledge assistance from social work students Peggy Sharr, Inez Cruz, and LaTiche Bush-Lane.

PII: S1525-8610(08)00258-2

doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2008.06.011

JAMDA
Volume 10, Issue 1 , Pages 36-44 , January 2009

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