REFLECTIONS ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON PALLIATIVE CARE SOCIAL WORK PRACTICES

Year 2023, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 295 - 313, 29.03.2023

Gökben Kangalgil Balta , Seval Bekiroğlu

https://doi.org/10.30798/makuiibf.1097469

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has required regulations regarding the delivery of palliative care services which are an important component of health systems. The number of cases and deaths increasing day by day has brought along the efforts for preventive measures. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the difficulties experienced by palliative care patients and their relatives in the care process have increased, enhancing various difficulties have emerged in the interventions. Loss of face-to-face communication due to social restrictions, visitor restrictions and physical distance have affected social work practices and intervention methods within the scope of palliative care. Technology-based methods have been important support channels for social workers in establishing communication and bonding between patients and their relatives who have been away from each other during the pandemic process. Informing, mediation, grief support, and support for health workers in the COVID-19 process, through technology-based methods, stand out among the activities carried out by social workers. In this study, taking advantage of the relevant literature, the COVID-19 pandemic's reflections have been discussed on palliative care social work practices.

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic, palliative care, social work

COVID-19 PANDEMİSİNİN PALYATİF BAKIM SOSYAL HİZMET UYGULAMALARINA YANSIMALARI

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemisi, sağlık sisteminin önemli bir bileşeni olan palyatif bakım hizmetlerinin sunumuna ilişkin düzenlemeler yapılmasını gerektirmiştir. Her geçen gün artan vaka ve ölüm sayıları, önleyici tedbirlere yönelik çabaları da beraberinde getirmiştir. COVID-19 pandemisi ile birlikte palyatif bakım hastaları ve yakınlarının bakım sürecinde yaşadıkları zorluklar katlanmış, dolayısıyla müdahalelerde de çeşitli zorluklar ortaya çıkmıştır. Sosyal kısıtlamalar, ziyaretçi kısıtlamaları ve fiziksel mesafeden kaynaklı yüz yüze iletişim kaybı palyatif bakım kapsamındaki sosyal hizmet uygulamalarını ve müdahale yöntemlerini etkilemiştir. Teknoloji ağırlıklı yöntemler, pandemi sürecinde birbirinden uzakta kalan hasta ve yakınları arasındaki iletişimi sağlamada ve bağı kurmada sosyal hizmet uzmanları için önemli destek araçları olmuştur. Teknoloji ağırlıklı yöntemler aracılığıyla COVID-19 sürecinde bilgilendirme, aracılık, yas desteği ve sağlık çalışanlarına yönelik destek sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının gerçekleştirdikleri faaliyetler arasında öne çıkmıştır. Bu çalışmada, ilgili literatürden yararlanarak COVID-19 pandemisinin palyatif bakım sosyal hizmet uygulamalarına yansımaları ele alınmıştır.

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemisi, palyatif bakım, sosyal hizmet

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