Clinical social work in the care of Parkinson’s disease: role, functions, and opportunities in integrated health care

Social work scope of practice with Parkinson's disease: A qualitative study

“…Findings identified four principal themes, each of which provides deeper insights into the unique perspectives and functions of social work in this field. Social workers described a dynamic set of clinical skills and an approach to care through a social justice lens, echoing the limited but growing literature in this area (González-Ramos et al, 2019;Waldron et al, 2013;Zerden et al, 2022). From new diagnosis through the end of life, social workers function as coordinators, bridge-builders, advocates, and educators as well as a point for assessment, emotional support, and connection to resources for those they serve.…”

“…Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological diagnosis that has been identified as necessitating a team of healthcare professionals across multiple disciplines to address the complex needs of people with PD and their families, affording much opportunity for the role of social work in comprehensive PD care (González-Ramos et al, 2019; Zerden et al, 2022). PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease, currently impacting more than 10 million people worldwide (Marras et al, 2018; Parkinson's Foundation, 2021).…”

“…PD non-motor symptoms can include depression, anxiety, apathy, poor sleep patterns, fatigue, swallowing difficulty, changes to vocal quality, and cognitive impairment primarily in executive functioning (processing speed, multitasking, attention, planning, organization) (Duncan et al, 2014; Mehta, 2015; Pfeiffer, 2016) . The symptoms experienced by this disease are unique to the individual and can change and worsen over time, leading to a variety of psychosocial challenges including support system stressors, loss of independence, and difficult considerations and decisions around care (González-Ramos et al, 2019; Macleod et al, 2016; Mosley et al, 2017).…”

“…Parkinson's Foundation has played a critical role in the advocacy and advancement of both approaches to the care of people with PD. While social workers have long played key roles in the provision of these integrated care models in PD care settings, research and literature offering assessment and evidence in this area remains limited (González-Ramos et al, 2019; Zerden et al, 2022).…”

“…This is not a comparative paper between medical social workers working in other areas of health, yet indeed there may be overlaps. The uniqueness of this research is that only social workers working in the field of PD were interviewed, thus adding to only three other studies to date, to our knowledge, that specifically assess the application of social work in PD care, two of which were conducted over a decade ago (González-Ramos et al, 2019; Waldron et al, 2013; Zerden et al, 2022). As such, the results of this study strengthen the argument for the role of social work in PD care, as this disease is a unique health condition that progresses over time with ever-changing needs demanding a breadth of specialized knowledge and targeted ongoing interventions.…”