Social Services
Social Care is a top priority of Sutton Park.
Federal law (42 CFR 483.15) requires that all skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) provide “medically related social services to attain or maintain the highest practicable resident physical, mental and psychosocial well-being” (source: National Association of Social Workers). Social Care is a top priority of Sutton Park. Consider that many facilities fail to meet even the minimum requirements as demonstrated by the following research findings:
A recent, national study of a random sample of nursing home social service directors (n=299) in facilities with more than 120 beds found that:
- 62 percent possessed a bachelor’s degree and 35 percent had master’s degrees. Three percent lacked the minimum federal requirement of a BA.
- 62 percent had a degree in social work, with degrees in psychology (n=35), sociology (n=21), counseling (n=10), and gerontology (n=5) also reported with frequency.
- Less than half (47 percent) were licensed or registered social workers in their home states and only 15 percent reported receiving clinical supervision by a licensed social worker.
- Caseloads averaged 90 residents per social service director (SD = 47.9; Mode = 120) and nearly one-third (30 percent) were the only social worker on staff (Simons, unpublished).
Sutton Park focuses on building trusted relationships and goes above and beyond to provide exemplary care as demonstrated by the following services not often found in other facilities:
- An Adjustment Counselor
- Monthly Meeting for new families
- D/C Planning – Comprehensive
