Free Essay on Community Services - Support Client Self-Management

At the present age, the mode of interaction between the clients and the social workers has greatly changed. Traditional methods of authoritarian approaches have changed towards a more collaborative partnership between the social workers and the clients based on the attainment of the mutual goals and the shared understanding of the problems shared and their proposed resolutions (Henderson et al., 2015).

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It is of utmost importance to report any cases of non-adherence or compliance from the side of the client by the social worker as this will help find the solution as to why the patient is no adhering to his or her medication. It will assist in resolving the problem as early as possible thereby saving a life which may be lost in such cases due to non-adherence (Martin, 2016). Not reporting such instances may lead to an increase in the occurrence of the problem which the client faces and may be hard to solve it later in life due to major complications which it may lead to.

There are different and many cases of non-adherence to medications by the clients (Christensen & Malmo 2016). Some of them include non-compliance in asthma, in the pulmonary obstructive disease and also the noncompliance of the patients with diabetes (Martin, 2016). These are brought by instances of mistrust and misunderstanding between the client and the social worker, and also, ignorance on the side of the client.

In most cases, to solve such a problem of noncompliance, a shared decision-making model between the clients or patient and the physician or the social worker is often used in which the client and the social worker discuss and agree on the nature of the problems in question and propose probable steps towards their management. The participatory relationship amongst the client and the social worker is the most important factor that promotes medical adherence (Pockett, 2013). The more actively the client or patient gets involved, the higher the chances and levels of adherence with the greater chances that the patient can engage in healthy exercise behavior and diet.

The social worker must try to gain the trust of the client. Trust amongst the social worker and the client can be a great factor towards medical adherence. In instances where there is more significant amount of trust, there is improved compliance to medication (Martin, 2016). Mistrust between the client and the social worker can lead to the breakdown of the patient social worker collaboration. The understanding of this is the first step towards the healing process of the client and the better administration or better provision of appropriate care by the social worker (Christensen & Malmo 2016).

The social worker and the client must also have a common understanding of the significance of the medical condition in question, the probably available methods of effective treatments for the problem and the associated risks which may arise in case the problem is undertreated or untreated. Such a shared understanding provides a foundation in which all the treatments and the contracts are based.

For a common understanding, the social worker is required to ask the client if he or she understands the medical condition they face and reasons as to why it requires treatment. The client is also supposed to articulate any question or concerns regarding the proposed treatment (Martin, 2016). The concerns about the lifestyle changes and modification, recommended treatments, monitoring and follow-up plans, recommended treatments and the diagnostic test need to be articulated to avoid the problem of medical in adherence (Henderson et al., 2015).

The social worker also needs to have information if there are any other alternative approaches the clients is considering or using as this will eliminate some misunderstanding which may arise in the process. The social worker also needs to provide time to the patients to allow for the process to bear fruits as whatever the patient may tell you may be invaluable in tailoring an approach towards the improvement of compliance (Pockett, 2013).

The social worker can support the client in many ways during the times of self-management strategies (Hosken et al., 2016). Self-management strategies are of great importance as they provide the client with the ability to try and work out things out on her or his lone way thereby necessitating mutual understanding on the imminent problems that he or she faces medically. Such instances may help build a great trust between the social worker and the client, therefore, aiding the healing process (Christensen & Malmo 2016).

Since the health of the client is at stake, therefore, limited movement and little energy on the side of the patient, the social worker can help in the provision of mental support and advice, provision of food from a local food shop and also helping the client move around when needed. They can offer to drive the in some instances as this will make them feel appreciated. Such a feeling does aid in the recovery process as the clients feel that they are not a burden to anyone but rather a friend to those around them (Martin, 2016).

A strength-based support system is a theory which emphasizes in the peoples strengths and self-determination (Hosken et al., 2016). It is an attitude and also an approach of viewing clients as being resourceful and irrepressible in the time of difficulty. It emphases on the imminent strengths and the outcomes which individuals bring in times of a crisis or problem and is client led. When it is applied yonder the arena of communal work, it is denoted to as a strength grounded approach (Henderson et al., 2015).

Strength-based support is often denoted to as a retort to more pathological or deficit-focused methods (Pockett, 2013). For example, reference noted that within a field of the youth justice system, the mainstream correctional model mainly focuses on the risks, wants and discourses the weaknesses. Consequently, the strength centered support system boosts strengths and therefore builds on the characteristics which already exist within the individuals (Hosken et al., 2016). Even though applied contrarily contingent on the service and the population, the approach is categorized as a theory through which individuals are regarded and in which the agencies operate.

Strength-based support is a precarious conviction, an all-ubiquitous attitude which informs the professions interactions with their clients (Pockett, 2013). Such a philosophy can be used to support the client through attitude change, transforming the ways in which they view their life, community members and mostly through the training (Martin, 2016). With the belief that all persons have strengths and the resources that the philosophy holds, it does, therefore, focus on the individuals interests, skills, and the support systems thereby aiding in the client's recovery (Christensen & Malmo 2016).

The development and maintenance of network are of utmost importance to some clients involved in self-management (Henderson et al., 2015). The networks may include the social networks, educational networks, employment networks and recreational networks. To access such networks, clients may need to develop new skills such as understanding the social cues, understanding the feelings of others and initiating conversations. Such networks help the clients or patients to get involved in an activity or a group thereby at times making them forget their misery and participate fully in which there is a realization of their goals and dreams (Pockett, 2013). They can learn from other and therefore comprehend what they are going through.

The work of the social worker is often coupled with many challenges (Christensen & Malmo 2016). The social labors are liable for assisting families, persons and other groups of individuals in coping with their problems that they are facing to improve their client's lives. The social workers teach their clients skills and develop the mechanisms for the patients to rely on for the betterment of their experiences and lives.

Regarding the provision of services, the social workers can in some cases act as drivers to the clients. They move them from one place to another thereby acquiring them some food staffs and other resources. In the case whereby the client trusts the social worker absolutely, they can send them to the banks thereby offering banking services to them (Pockett, 2013). Some social workers can cook and vend food for the clients, clean houses and clothes for clients and also aid in the management of the clients resources. All these services aid in ensuring the wellbeing of the client or patients.

In most cases, coping occurs in response to the psychological stress usually elicited by the changes to uphold the emotional well-being and mental health (Henderson et al., 2015). The coping strategies encompass the behaviors, emotions and the thoughts that an individual uses to modify according to the vicissitudes which occur in their life.

The coping panaches that individuals use may attest to be more operative than others subject to the individual involved and type of the traumatizing condition (Hosken et al., 2016). The coping mechanisms can either be avoidant or active. Ineffective coping mechanisms sometimes referred to as maladaptive coping can lead to a more serious situation as the patient may feel utterly unappreciated and may even lead to the client committing suicide. The clients feel that it will be better for them to take their life to end the prolonged suffering that they face. On the other hand, positive coping mechanisms can make the clients or patients more jovial and accelerate the healing procedure (Pockett, 2013).

Case study 1

The type of coping mechanism that Toby uses is active strategy in specific, problem-solving strategy. He is aware of the stressor and therefore he proceeds to cut his arm which is a negative outcome to avoid his stressor which is an abusive father.

Toby needs an alternative coping mechanism as such a mechanism that he does use is causing harm to him. It may lead to death due to bleeding which obviously results from a cut arm. The alternative coping mechanism can be emotion-focused in which he assumes his father and he proceeds with his daily duties as nothing, or nobody is around him thereby relieving his stress.

To assist Toby, I would provide him with the mental support and the needed advice on how to handle the imminent stress provided by his drunken father. I would also put him I the company of other kids who are undergoing the same problem so as to understand that he is not the only one involved.

Case study 2

Tommy being 13 years is capable of making significant decisions even though he is a child. The fact that he has been going to school alone for two years when his mother was alive proves that he knows the importance of education. The probable means that the case manager has to talk to Tommy and reach an agreement on his escort in regard to school going. They need to discuss other means of escorting him to school may by the use of a car instead of by foot. He can also advise him on the problems that he does face if he does continue with his behavior.

If the case manager makes a decision of keeping Tommy physically safe, Tommy may revert to other means of making him understand his grievances. The outcome of the result of what Tommy decides may be devastating to the case manager and to Tommy himself. The worker needs to comply with several things regarding Tommys health. He has the sole responsibility of taking care of Tommy as a guardian. Each and every decision that he does make must be in agreement with the general well-being of Tommy.

Case study 3

The worker will need first to understand that what Marta is going through...