An assessment of the need for social work services for patients and their family members on the Neurosupportive Care Unit at Deer Lodge Centre

• Main Author: Lloyd-Scott, Lisa Diane
• Format: Others
• Language: en; en_US
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/964

Survival following moderate or severe acquired brain injury is a recent phenomenon. Until the 1980s individuals who sustained moderate or severe acquired brain injury rarely survived the acute onset. Advances in medical research and medical technology have resulted in increased survival rates. The Neurosupportive Care Unit was developed in 1991 at Deer Lodge Centre to serve the needs of younger Manitobans affected by severe neurological impairments who required chronic care. The Neurosupportive Care Unit is a family-centered chronic care program for younger adults with severe neurological impairment. An evaluability assessment of the Neurosupportive Care Unit t Deer Lodge Centre was conducted to assist in the development of evaluation and assessment tools. The evaluation and assessment tools developed was a questionnaire. It was used in a program evaluation examining the need for Social Work services on the Neurosupportive Care Unit. The goal of this practicum was to collect demographic data, to explore family members knowledge of acquired brain injury, to examine Social Work related needs and to explore the perceptions of support and counselling held by the family members. Through this practicum project and the data analysis results it has become clear that the traditional systems perspective in combination with the problem solving goal oriented support and counselling approach are insufficient tools to provide efficient and effective Social Work service to this unique patient population. There is an expressed need to utilize alternate assessment and intervention strategies. The writer believes that the results of this Practicum report will enhance Social Work service provision through information sharing, education, support and counseling.