Social workers should be knowledgeable in many areas. One area that seems to be growing is people with diabetes. According to Auslander and Budd (2014) in their article in the Encyclopedia of Social Work titled “Diabetes (Children and Adults),” there are approximately 347 million people worldwide who suffer from diabetes, a disease characterized by high level of blood glucose because of problems with the production of insulin or failure to use insulin properly. Due to the fact that diabetes is a growing concern, social workers need to know the effects and consequences of the diagnosis. Learning about diabetes is important in all stages of life. A person can get type 1 diabetes at a young age or can be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as they
…show more content…
Social workers could be an extra support systems to patients. They can help discuss ways to manage diabetes in terms that the person can understand that are not medical terms. Social workers can help patients work through health care and insurance issues so they do not feel like they are drowning in the paperwork. Helping people understand lifestyle changes and being there to educate parents and children who are diagnosed. Depression among people with diabetes is three times more likely than with people without the disease. Depression alone could be a valid reason to have a social worker help with the patient as a counselor or a listening ear. Support groups can be found or created by social workers to help patients get in touch with others that understand the stress and frustrations they are experiencing. Along with education, social workers can locate resources to benefit the patient and their families (Cox, …show more content…
Family based interventions use family support, family communication patterns, and family responsibility sharing to monitor the disease. They work on changing family knowledge, behaviors and cognitions. This is thought to help because family has a strong influence of the child self-management (Auslander & Budd, 2014). Family teamwork is also a suggested intervention. Family teamwork provides classes during doctor visits that help with responsibilities and emotional support of the child. Family teamwork can also be done over conference calls to the home (Auslander & Budd,
Social workers could be an extra support systems to patients. They can help discuss ways to manage diabetes in terms that the person can understand that are not medical terms. Social workers can help patients work through health care and insurance issues so they do not feel like they are drowning in the paperwork. Helping people understand lifestyle changes and being there to educate parents and children who are diagnosed. Depression among people with diabetes is three times more likely than with people without the disease. Depression alone could be a valid reason to have a social worker help with the patient as a counselor or a listening ear. Support groups can be found or created by social workers to help patients get in touch with others that understand the stress and frustrations they are experiencing. Along with education, social workers can locate resources to benefit the patient and their families (Cox, …show more content…
Family based interventions use family support, family communication patterns, and family responsibility sharing to monitor the disease. They work on changing family knowledge, behaviors and cognitions. This is thought to help because family has a strong influence of the child self-management (Auslander & Budd, 2014). Family teamwork is also a suggested intervention. Family teamwork provides classes during doctor visits that help with responsibilities and emotional support of the child. Family teamwork can also be done over conference calls to the home (Auslander & Budd,