Using conflict theory to explore the role of nursing home social workers in home- and community-based service utilization.
Nursing home social work (NHSW) practitioners are central to home- and community-based service (HCBS) utilization. They assist residents with long-term care (LTC) decision-making and coordinate community-based LTC supports and services for older adults transitioning back into the community after a rehabilitative nursing home (NH) stay. As members of multiple groups, they must simultaneously balance the needs of NH residents, the NH organization, and social policies related to LTC. To date, policy research on HCBS has been atheoretical in that it has not accounted for the possible inherent conflicts that adversely affect the discharge planning practices of NHSW practitioners. This article applies the Conflict Theory to (a) explore the competing interests of the NH industry and the nation's government, (b) examine the potential effect of these competing interests on the effectiveness of NHSW discharge planning practices, and (c) present a conceptual framework to further investigate the relationship between NHSW and both individual LTC outcomes and national policy initiatives aimed at increasing HCBS utilization.
Fogler
Sarah
S
Department of Gerontology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA. sfogler1@umbc.edu
D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005853:Geriatrics; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D024382:Professional Role; D012947:Social Work / Q000458:organization & administration*