Social Work as a Pathway to enhancing Patient Care: A Collaboration in Innovation
Golden Butterflies, an organization dedicated to supporting patients with compassion and care, recently sought additional training support for their social workers. To facilitate this, John Surya (Chennai-based Regional Facilitator from Pallium India), engaged in a productive interaction with Aarthi, COO of Golden Butterflies, to discuss training schedules and future plans for their social workers.
Discussions focused on better defining the role of social workers, particularly in the context of home care services. Golden Butterflies, known for its significant contribution through Art Therapy, expressed a desire to delve deeper into the psychosocial aspects of patient care and devise more effective ways to assess patient needs in order to optimize support.
John has previously worked as a Medical Social Worker at TIPS (Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences) – the Demonstration flagship clinical centre under Pallium India. He drew on his experience to provide insights into the roles and functions of social officers, especially concerning home care, outpatient centres, inpatient operations, and social work projects. He also shared information about available training programs tailored to different disciplines.
John reports that he had the pleasure of meeting David, a dedicated social worker at Golden Butterflies. David shared his experience working at the Institute of Children Hospital (ICH) and other private healthcare facilities. His dedication was also apparent while speaking of the importance of homecare, and the value of using art therapy sessions.
A significant point of discussion was the assessment process for providing nutrition to patients by way of food kits through a structured approach. What seems to have worked well in Pallium India’s experience has been an initial assessment followed by provision for the next six months, with reassessment thereafter. In such cases it is also valuable to leverage existing schemes and pensions in Tamil Nadu to facilitate patient care comprehensively.
In addition to discussing operational matters, David also shared insights into a patient case requiring a thorough assessment of psychosocial needs during home care visits. Plans were made to visit Golden Butterflies’ space at ICH Hospital, Egmore, to further collaborate and enhance patient support initiatives.
John accompanied the Golden Butterflies team on two home visits, which rounded off the trip very well, leaving both sides feeling more committed to collaborate and innovate together, to share knowledge and learnings.
John’s new role as Regional Facilitator was definitely enhanced in this case with his social Work experience and he hopes to be able to continue adding value to his work.
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