Social work & the end-of-life care experience

Around one in eight Americans are elderly (65 years old or over), according to the U.S. Census Bureau; but, by the year 2030 about one in five Americans will be elderly.  As the elderly population exceeds the growth population of the U.S., it is increasingly a concern for the country that the needs of the elderly are addressed and met.

Dr. Jean Munn, Ph.D. has taken particular interest in frail elders, specifically those at the end of life. Building on the research of her dissertation, “Defining a Good Death for Residents of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living,” that studied residents in long-term care, bereaved family members and nursing staff, Dr. Munn has chosen to delve into the unanswered questions regarding social workers involvement with staff, family and residents during the end-of-life experience.

Working with focus groups of social workers from the same facilities she examined during her dissertation she’s found some interesting results. Social workers perceived that they needed an invitation by nursing staff to be involved in end-of-life care, and that they were deferring to the greater knowledge of nursing staff. Nursing staff, in contrast, perceived this as a deficit in care from the social workers.

Dr. Munn is also currently using the information from the focus groups to complete a survey of social workers regarding their involvement in end-of-life experiences with residences, family and staff.  This study will help to define the amount of social worker involvement and provide crucial information regarding how social workers become involved. To continue this research even further (and on other end-of-life topics), she is also establishing a collaboration of facilities, The Long-Term Care Research Partnership, comprised of 30 nursing homes and 200 assisted living communities in Florida.

Contact Dr. Munn directly at (850) 644-9748 or jmunn@fsu.edu.