Social Services

Social Services Overview

Geriatrics and gerontology advance with each passing year. That’s a good thing since it helps us better understand the unique physical, mental, and emotional challenges of aging. It also assists us to help seniors live longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. However, as anyone involved in geriatrics will tell you — and as we understand all too well at Princeton Health Care Center — those aspects of senior care are only one part of a much bigger picture. That’s why we also employ social services professionals who work closely with our other skilled nursing and therapeutic practitioners.

What Senior Social Workers Do

West Virginia seniors have access to a wide range of social services that provide economic, emotional, medical, and psychological benefits. That’s the good news. The bad news is that those programs come with a set of requirements and qualifications that can be intimidating even to those who are experienced. A social worker can help not only to match seniors to appropriate programs, but also to navigate all that comes with them.

Social Services at Princeton Health Care Center

At Princeton Health Care Center, we take pride in the level of care we provide our residents and the Mercer County WV area.  One of the realities of age is that we’re bound to lose a step. It’s not realistic to expect the same level of function we had in our youth, but we still have the chance to make the most of each day in the body and mind we’ve got. If you live in the Princeton, WV area, Princeton Health Care Center can help you enjoy your golden years — fit, healthy, and happy.

The Benefits of Social Services

Let’s explore the patient benefits of social services.

Clinical social workers help to diagnose a range of mental and behavioral issues as the first step toward treatment. They may also provide family and couples support that helps others impacted by a senior’s day-to-day challenges to find appropriate coping mechanisms.

Seniors too often fall prey to elder abuse, fraud, and a variety of scams. A quick scan of the newspaper or a few minutes watching the evening news turns up countless stories of elderly individuals preyed upon by everyone from telemarketers to ill-intentioned financial scammers. A social worker can equip seniors with the tools to avoid these pitfalls and help them to fight back if they’re victimized.

The elderly aren’t the only ones who find the aging process difficult. Family caregivers — especially in the “sandwich generation” — face unique challenges even after a loved one enters a long-term care facility or memory care unit.

West Virginia seniors have access to a wide range of social services through agencies like HHS, the VA, and the West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services. These provide economic, emotional, medical, and psychological benefits to their participants. Unfortunately, these programs come with a set of requirements and qualifications that can be intimidating even to those who are experienced. A social worker can help not only to match seniors to appropriate programs but also to navigate all that comes with them.

Our Approach

Each of the practices above can be viewed on its own, but our approach at Princeton Health Care Center is interdisciplinary. We combine those links into a chain that’s strong and effective, working in tandem with other departments that include speech therapy, physician services, and tailored activities. We do this to address all facets of our residents’ well-being to ensure and enhance their overall health.