Social Workers

Caring for someone with a serious illness brings challenges that reach far beyond medications and symptoms. You may be coordinating care, managing paperwork, juggling family dynamics and opinions, and holding emotions that are hard to name, all while trying to stay strong for the people you love.

Hospice social workers step into these moments to help you sort through the practical, emotional, and relational weight of this season. At AlēvCare Hospice, our social workers listen first, guide gently, and support your family with clarity, compassion, and a steady presence, so you can move forward with more confidence and less fear.

Talk With Someone Who Understands
Call (469) 630-2538 to speak with our hospice team

How Social Workers Help Your Family

Hospice social workers focus on the people side of serious illness, how it affects your mind, your relationships, and your daily life.

Our social workers help by:

• Listening to your story, worries, and questions without judgment
• Helping you name what feels most overwhelming right now
• Clarifying what is urgent, what can wait, and what we can help carry
• Working closely with nurses, aides, chaplains, and the Medical Director so your support feels coordinated and cohesive

You remain the expert on your family. The social worker simply becomes a steady guide through a season that rarely feels straightforward.

Support With Planning and Decisions

Serious illness often brings big decisions: advance directives, medical powers of attorney, code status, goals of care, and what your loved one wants most in the months, weeks, and days ahead. These conversations can feel intimidating, emotional, or confusing.

AlēvCare Hospice social workers can:

• Explain documents and options in clear, everyday language
• Help you think through choices and what each one may mean
• Support family meetings so different voices can be heard with dignity
• Work with the rest of the hospice team to ensure the care plan reflects your loved one’s wishes and priorities

Instead of rushing through decisions at the last minute, you gain room to breathe, talk, and plan with support.

Emotional Support for Patients and Caregivers

Grief begins long before the final days. You may be grieving who your loved one used to be, the life you imagined, or the daily changes you see unfolding. You might feel pressure to “hold it together” for everyone else, even when you’re exhausted.

Our social workers offer:

• A confidential, safe place to talk honestly about fear, anger, guilt, or sadness
• Support for patients who are processing their own emotions and questions
• Tools for coping with stress, conflict, and emotional fatigue
• Guidance on how to support children, teens, or other family members

You do not have to filter or minimize what you feel. Our social workers are trained to hold these conversations gently and confidentially.

Help With Resources and Practical Needs

Beyond emotions and decisions, serious illness creates practical challenges: financial, benefits, caregiving schedules, transportation, and living arrangements.

AlēvCare Hospice social workers can:

• Identify community, financial, or caregiving resources that may help
• Suggest options for additional support or respite
• Help you think through work, family, and caregiving responsibilities
• Coordinate with facility team members, agencies, or community partners when appropriate

You still make the decisions. You simply don’t have to track down every option on your own.

When to Talk With a Social Worker

Many families think they should wait until there’s a crisis, conflict, or a major decision before involving a social worker. In reality, earlier support can make the entire journey smoother.

It may be time to ask for a social worker when:

• You feel overwhelmed, stuck, or emotionally drained
• Family members disagree about what should happen next
• You’re unsure how to talk with children or teens about changes
• You’re worried about finances, caregiving schedules, or where your loved one will receive care
• You simply want someone outside the family to listen and offer perspective

You can request a social worker at any time. There is no issue “too small” to bring up.

A Simple Plan to Get Support

Getting help from a hospice social worker is straightforward and shaped around your priorities.

1. Share What You are Carrying
   Let your nurse or our office know you would like support from a social worker. You can share a specific concern or simply say, “I think we need some help.”
2. Meet and Talk
   Your social worker meets with you (and your family, if you choose), listens, asks gentle questions, and helps clarify what feels most important right now.
3. Create a Plan Together
   Together, you identify next steps, whether emotional support, resources, family conversations, or planning, and stay in touch as needs change.

You set the pace. We walk with you at each step.