choublak

Is a case worker a social worker who is assigned cases? How are the two different?

LifeRecovery

At least where I work, case worker/case managers are not always social workers. Many of them are nurses and their focus is making sure that people have their physical needs met....

MissFixit

I worked at a university with a medical school and hospital. There a social worker had to have a MSW (master of social work) and helped people by counseling. A case worker was someone who helped patients navigate the system and managed their "cases" from start to finish or ongoing (told them how to get dr referrals, made sure they got appts, etc..). Case workers did not need anything other than a high school diploma, but it was usually nurses or people with associates healthcare type degrees.

choublak

So a case worker is usually also an RN?

dandylion

It depends on the setting. In a hospital it usually is a social worker or an RN.

Is the person in question being seen by social services department? That would probably be a social worker.

If it is out in the community--- it could be a healthcare person or a social worker or someone in the areas that are primarily mental health.

If in doubt--best bet is to ask.

dandylion

MissFixit

At a medical school/university hospital, usually yes an RN or an LPN or even an MSW. Someone with medical knowledge at that level and knowledge of the medical system (its own world). They did not advertise that as a requirement (I observed), but those are the ones who were hired (too many folks looking for work). However, there were "lifers" who started as case workers decades ago that do not have degrees beyond high school. I am not sure those folks would get hired in those roles today though. A small town hospital or a community hospital might be different, don't know about those.

choublak

It has to do with a 93 year old lady with dementia who lives in the Alzheimer's/dementia care unit of a senior living facility. She got sick and had to go to the hospital. When she was being discharged from the hospital to go back to the senior living facility, her son was getting calls from her case worker about the process. This person called like twice, and one time she referred to herself as a social worker, the other time, she said she was the case worker. A lot of times the terms "social worker" and "case worker" are used interchangeably, but they're not the same thing.

The only reason I ask is because in Spanish you would say "trabajador social" for both of them. So you'd basically have to explain the differences and nuances between the two, and I'm not sure exactly what they are.

dandylion

I would say that, most likely, in this case--it is a social worker. If you are trying to explain it to the son so that he understands it--I would look up the definition of social worker up on wikipedia and find a simple-but, clear way of explaining it. True, that social worker and case worker may not come from the same background--but their responsibilities in a given position may be the same.

If language is a problem---hospitals have spanish speaking individuals at their disposal who can speak with the son and explain things or answer his questions. I have spent much of my l ife in hospitals---and, often called on the bi-lingual interpreters to "help me out".

dandylion

choublak

I am a bilingual interpreter...

choublak

So, basically a social worker assigned to a case.

dandylion

O.K.--No Problema!!

dandylion

MissFixit

You got a job! I remember you were looking for one a while back. Congratulations! Bilingual interpreter sounds way cooler than the chipolte gig.

I wish I could speak spanish fluently.

choublak

Oh, I don't have a job yet, I just translate everything I possibly can.

choublak

Actually, I just found out that the caseworker is an RN who works for a provider of hospice care and palliative care services. She visits the lady at the senior living facility and provides care so that the senior resident doesn't have to go to the hospital. This same lady at the senior living facility also has a separate social worker, who doesn't seem to be as involved as the caseworker.