Social Services

Social Work Specialist Beste Başak ERÖKSÜZ

At the first meeting with an elderly patient, she carries out a social and environmental assessment. She evaluates who and where the patient lives with, education level, economic status, active role in life, care needs and caregiver needs, caregiver burden, the caregiver's need for support, physical disability status, shopping and travel abilities, and social activities, and intervenes regarding the patient's problem. All of this work is carried out in coordination with the geriatrics team.

She meets with elderly patients presenting to the geriatrics outpatient clinic who live alone, have disabilities, need care, have care problems or have no relatives, and carries out the necessary evaluation and referral. She provides psychosocial support according to the patient's needs.

When an elderly person cannot manage on their own, she provides guidance on arranging a caregiver in line with their own wishes and those of their relatives. She informs elderly people with care problems and their relatives about the relevant social service organizations (nursing homes, care homes, rehabilitation centers, etc.).

She meets with patients who live alone, have no relatives, or come from out of town for treatment and have a problem finding a place to stay, and provides the necessary referrals.

She meets with outpatients or inpatients who have difficulty adapting to the disease and treatment process or who refuse treatment, and carries out appropriate professional interventions to help them accept the diagnosis and adhere to treatment.

She provides the necessary guidance, especially for care patients, to obtain a disability report and explains the rights of persons with disabilities. She provides counseling on legal procedures such as appointment of a legal guardian and companion reports.

The Social Work Specialist, together with the Geriatric Nurse, meets with patients diagnosed with dementia and with caregivers of elderly people cared for at home to discuss care planning. In this context, she provides the dementia information training.