College of Health & Human Services, Bowling Green State University, Ohio.
School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2021 Mar 14;76(4):e219-e224. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa143.
Social work has a long history of responding to the needs of vulnerable populations during times of crisis and disaster. Social workers are working at the front lines responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of health care practice settings, including nursing homes; however, it is unclear how social workers perceive their preparedness during this time.
This study employed a cross-sectional survey to nursing home social workers via social media on feelings of preparedness for COVID-19, what has been most professionally helpful for social workers during these times in their role in COVID-19, as well as demographic questions. Demographic data were analyzed using SPSS and qualitative data were analyzed using the rigorous and accelerated data reduction technique.
Data are based on a sample of 63 (N = 63) nursing home social workers. Findings revealed that while some social workers felt prepared for the coronavirus, many respondents stated that they were unprepared to meet the demands and challenges they were facing. Moreover, participants shared that professional support was critically important to get through COVID-19.
These findings are important, as social workers are tasked with ensuring each resident attains their highest level of psychosocial well-being, which can be achieved only when nursing home staff are supported. Findings from the present study suggest that additional support for nursing home staff ought to include peer mentoring and mutual support. Additionally, improved leadership across health care settings is worth assessing.
社会工作在危机和灾难时期一直致力于满足弱势群体的需求。社会工作者正在第一线应对当前的 COVID-19 大流行，在包括养老院在内的各种医疗保健实践环境中工作；然而，目前尚不清楚社会工作者在这段时间内如何看待自己的准备情况。
本研究通过社交媒体对养老院的社会工作者进行了横断面调查，以了解他们对 COVID-19 的准备情况、在 COVID-19 期间作为其角色的一部分对社会工作者最有帮助的是什么，以及人口统计学问题。使用 SPSS 分析人口统计学数据，使用严格和加速的数据减少技术分析定性数据。
数据基于 63 名（N = 63）养老院社会工作者的样本。调查结果显示，虽然一些社会工作者对冠状病毒有一定的准备，但许多受访者表示，他们没有准备好应对他们面临的需求和挑战。此外，参与者还表示，专业支持对度过 COVID-19 至关重要。
这些发现很重要，因为社会工作者的任务是确保每位居民都能达到最高的心理社会幸福感，只有在养老院工作人员得到支持的情况下才能实现。本研究的结果表明，应该为养老院工作人员提供额外的支持，包括同行指导和相互支持。此外，值得评估整个医疗保健环境的领导力的提高。
