Comprehensive Approach Needed for Clients With Serious Illness, Editors Say

Publications

By Paul R. Pace

Serious illness is a health condition that carries a high risk of mortality, impacts daily functioning or quality of life, and can put excess strain on caregivers.

The editors of the NASW Press book, “Clients Facing Serious Illness: Social Work Practice with Adults,” note that people with serious illness deserve compassionate, culturally competent, person-centered care focused on maintaining and enhancing their quality of life.

The book was inspired by the editors’ collective professional and personal experiences. As social workers, family members, and friends, they said they have witnessed firsthand the profound physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and ethical challenges that serious illness creates.

The editors are Faith P. Hopp, PhD, MSW, associate professor at the Wayne State University School of Social Work; Frances Nedjat-Haiem, PhD, LCSW, associate professor in the School of Social Work at San Diego State University; and Joy Swanson Ernst, PhD, MSW, associate professor emerita at the Wayne State University School of Social Work.

Together, they said they recognized a need for a comprehensive approach to serious illness that emphasizes social work practice strategies and resources relevant for adults facing serious illness and their families.

In the book, the editors use clinical practice examples and composite case studies drawn from the collective practice experiences of the authors. Readers can use these cases to deepen their understanding of serious illness and reflect on their own practice, the editors said.