The Human Services Committee of the CT State Legislature has agreed to raise a bill for public hearing on the minimum ratio of beds to social worker in nursing homes. The current minimum that is over 30 years old has a minimum ratio of 120 beds to 1 social worker. NASW/CT is calling for that ratio to be reduced this year to 80 beds to 1 social worker and in 2020 to further reduce the ratio to 60 beds per social worker. The bill will have a public hearing, most likely in February. We will be calling upon our members to contact their legislators in support of the bill.
Nursing Home Social Work Bill Being Introduced
January 14, 2016
As a social worker who has been working with the aging population for the past 12 years and being a social worker in a SNF currently, I can attest personally and first hand that it is imperative as a professional social worker to have a manageable case load. Since the current SNF policies and regulations, which were created in the 1980’s, the current SNF populations have been evolving and changing. Today in 2016, patients and their families require more attention and involve more medically complex treatments. In other words we as social workers are consistently consumed day in and day out dealing with compromised patients and their families who often can be unrealistic and demanding. If nothing else this busy and stressful work as a SNF social work provides job security, because I absolutely can see and feel the need for more social workers present full time in SNFs.
Often times, especially in the Healthcare field, patients are identified by an ID number or put together in catagories of similar diagnosis, but the invaluable fact of why I was drawn to do social work in a SNF is simply because every patient is a human being and they have siblings, parents, children, spouse, a life stories of their own. They each had a career, received an education and had their own adventures, hardship, and moments of greatness and pride in life. However, it has become challenging to both families and professionals to address each families and patients needs and wants because of the policies and regulations that were created in the 1980’s for SNF in CT. Please open your hearts and minds and advocate for the policies to change for the ratio of social workers to their clients in a SNF.