The Role of the Hospice Social Worker in the Care of Individuals with a History of Substance Use

Individuals enrolled in hospice face multiple challenges during their end-of-life (EOL) care, and these challenges can be exacerbated among individuals with a history of substance use. Social workers are key members of the hospice interprofessional care team and play an important role in helping patients with a history of substance use navigate EOL-care-related challenges. The present mixed methods study set out to explore the role social workers play in the care of hospice patients with a history of substance use by reviewing the caregiver records of 22 patients who died at a community-run residential care home (RCH). Quantitative analyses were conducted to identify the number of interventions social workers performed and the number of signed entries social workers provided to the patients' care records. Qualitative analyses were conducted to determine the themes on the nature of social work interventions and to identify situations where a social worker's presence may have been useful. Results revealed a total of 59 documented social worker interventions. On average, social workers conducted visits with patients once every three weeks, but there was great variability in the number of visits patients received. Social workers assisted with residential care home referrals and pre-admission paperwork. Areas identified where social workers could have assisted were with patients' emotional needs, pain management concerns, and family-related challenges. The findings suggest that there are many areas where social workers can provide additional support to hospice patients with a history of substance use.