Maryanne Haynes with social worker Rita Wagener BSW and intern Laura Przytulski.
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Laurel Ridge Health Care Center is honoring its social services team during March, which is National Professional Social Work Month. This year’s theme is Weaving Resilience and Advocacy.
Social workers’ goal is to help people navigate issues through counseling and develop a plan of action through advocacy, which could involve helping someone deal with an insurance or financial crisis, a housing emergency, or an expected medical diagnosis. They often work with people in crisis situations, and then follow up with them to make sure that the situation has improved. In a sub-acute nursing care setting, social workers are specially trained to provide mental and emotional support, give advice, and help people find resources to improve their lives, Laurel Ridge said.
Marianne Haynes, director of social services at Laurel Ridge, attends training and seminars to keep up with the latest trends in the field and then adapts programs for the individuals and families she works with, Laurel Ridge said. Her specialty is finding solutions for rehabilitation patients who also suffer from dementia, while also supporting long-term care residents.
Laura Przytulski, an intern and senior at Western Connecticut State University, has been working with the social services team. She said, “This opportunity has allowed me to be involved with what I love to do, and I look forward to being a resource for people, especially those who require proper supports to successfully return back to the community.”
For more information about resources available at Laurel Ridge, call Social Services at 203-438-8226.