Our social workers provide person- and family-centered care to our patients.
Services
Our social workers can help:
- Set up a patient and family care conference to go over questions, concerns, the treatment plan and after-hospital care needs.
- Arrange for services such as home health care, meals, transportation and hospice care.
- Assist with financial concerns.
- Arrange nursing home care if needed.
- Provide one-on-one counseling, a connection to support groups and educational materials.
- Fill out Advanced Directives forms.
- Provide support during times of trauma or grief.
- Arrange mental health and substance abuse services.
- Deal with concerns such as child abuse, dependent adult abuse, domestic violence or homelessness.
- Communicate with your health team and arrange services to meet your physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
- Find healthy ways to deal with stress and improve your overall wellness.
Advance Care Planning
The most important choices of your life may come at a time when you are not able to speak for yourself. Three ways to prepare are:
- Advanced Directives: Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney
- Honoring Your Wishes: Advanced care planning
- IPOST: End of life care
What You Should Know
Advanced Directives:
The state of Iowa has two types of Advanced Directives:
- Living Will: A written statement that tells your doctor if life-aiding methods should be withheld if you have an end-of-life condition. These methods would keep you alive and manage your pain, but would not improve your condition. Two doctors are needed to decide a terminal state. A Living Will takes effect only when you have an end-of-life condition and are not able to make choices yourself.
- Medical Power of Attorney: A written statement that names a person, known as your attorney-in-fact or agent, to make health care choices for you if you are not able. This person should be someone you trust and who agrees to be your agent. Your agent makes choices based on your living will. If your wishes are not known, your agent will make choices in your best interest.
Honoring Your Wishes: Honoring Your Wishes is an advanced care planning process where your health care choices are discussed, written down, and honored by family, friends and the health care community.
View Honoring Your Wishes Directive
Advance care planning:
- Helps you talk about options and goals that reflect your values and beliefs for future health care decisions.
- Gives your family, friends and health care providers the chance to honor your wishes.
IPOST:
The Iowa Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (IPOST) lets you make choices for general scope of treatment and life-aiding treatments including resuscitation, artificial nutrition and more. IPOST is useful for a person who is frail, elderly, has an end-of-life condition or an ongoing serious medical condition.
In the last stages of illness, health decisions can be difficult for the patient, their family and even the providers. IPOST helps health care providers guide and support the patient and their family during this sensitive time. A completed IPOST creates a clear statement of the patient’s health care treatment choices.
Contact Us
Phone: (319) 352-4951
Fax: (319) 352-4997