The importance of physical health is something that should always be emphasized and never ignored, no matter what age or abilities someone might have, and there are several activities that can help someone improve and maintain good physical fitness.
Social workers work in many different settings where physical fitness can play a role in improving the lives of their patients and clients. A healthcare setting, in particular, offers many opportunities to promote the physical health of patients of all ages, particularly adults and geriatric patients. Below are some of the things that social workers do to promote physical health in their patients.
Assess both a patient’s physical and psychological needs
To assess the needs of a patient, a healthcare social worker often reaches out to friends and family, as well as a patient’s doctors, nurses, and the patient themselves. Getting the whole picture of what resources and help a patient has available to them inside and outside of a medical setting can help a social worker gather more resources and ensure a better transition when they return home.
Creating a physical fitness plan for a patient may involve getting them equipment for their home that makes it possible to do the exercises most suited to their health conditions and abilities. If a patient has access to a gym or enjoys being outside, then activities may be designed around that. For many patients, physical therapy with one or more professionals may be necessary to rehabilitate them and ensure that they are healing properly from injuries, surgeries, and treatments.
Recommended fitness activities
There are many great ways to maintain physical fitness. The activities in this section can be beneficial for people of all ages, but some are more suitable for those with mobility issues or other issues that limit their ability to perform some activities.
Walking
One of the best low-impact exercises out there is the simple act of walking. Some people may enjoy walking outdoors on green space hiking trails, while others may walk through their neighborhood to complete errands or to give their dog some exercise. Walking is an activity that is easy to do with others. It encourages interaction with people, which can be lacking in the lives of some older adults.
It is important to make sure that those taking up walking have good, supportive shoes, keep a water bottle with them, stay hydrated, and choose paths and trails that are suited to their abilities. As someone regains physical abilities, they can try more challenging walks and hiking conditions. As always, the type of gear needed and the level of preparedness for longer excursions need to be taken into consideration. Adding weights to some parts of the body can increase the intensity of any walking exercise. Starting off with a smaller load is for the best.
Weightlifting
Many different activities can be achieved with weights. The key to weight lifting is to start with weights that are reasonable for your age and ability. Lifting too much weight and doing it often can lead to further injury. There is no shame in starting out with 1-5 pounds of weight for many exercises. Patients need to be heavily discouraged from increasing weight too quickly. Establishing a plan that spans a few months and setting realistic goals will achieve more and promote better morale as milestones are achieved or surpassed if things go better than expected.
Yoga or Pilates
Yoga, in particular, is a great activity for older patients who are trying to regain strength, flexibility, and tone. The great thing is that there are poses and yoga exercises for people of all abilities. As you gain strength, you can begin to ease into more complicated routines. All that is needed to do yoga is a small space and a padded mat for personal comfort. Clothing that is not super loose is recommended so it is not in the way during routines.
Yoga and Pilates classes are offered at virtually any fitness center, but there are many classes that can be taken online. Even YouTube is full of yoga instruction that costs little to nothing. Of course, attending a yoga class in person can be nice for those who have a harder time staying motivated at home. Social interaction and the personalized attention from in-person instruction can be helpful and refreshing, too.
Spinning or cycling
Riding a bicycle is an excellent form of exercise. Those who are able to use a bicycle can enjoy the great outdoors, and it is an activity that they can do with children or grandchildren. If a child is in need of good physical fitness exercise, then cycling is an excellent choice.
When you cannot get outside or if you really don’t have a place where you can cycle easily, an indoor stationary bike could be just what you need. Many indoor bikes have fitness programs and trackers built into them, so you can vary your routine or work your way up to more intense exercise.
It can be a lot easier to maintain physical fitness when families find time to do activities together. Walks, hikes, camping, taking exercise classes together, bicycling, swimming, etc. can all be great for everyone’s health and encourage family time.
Healthy eating is important for physical fitness
Encouraging healthy eating habits is an important factor when social workers are planning out physical fitness regimes and establishing milestones. Without proper and balanced nutrition, physical fitness is much more difficult or even impossible to achieve on any meaningful level.
Eating healthy can be harder for some than others. Sometimes, food is used as a vice, particularly in those who are homebound, disabled, or isolated. Good access to healthy foods can also be difficult for those who live in areas where grocery stores or fresh markets are not close by. The cost of healthy foods is often considerably more than mass-produced and highly processed foods made from inexpensive ingredients and fillers.
Social workers need to assess a patient’s food security. If a patient lacks the funds to eat well, social workers must help them find any resources they may need. Government SNAP benefits, Meals on Wheels, and other programs may be able to help. Assisting patients with finding and applying for financial resources such as disability or veterans’ benefits is yet another role a healthcare social worker may play.
Meal planning and discussing good nutritional choices with caregivers is another good idea. People are busy with many obligations, so planning out meals may seem too time-consuming at first. Healthcare social workers can develop meal plans with the help of a patient’s doctors and a nutritionist. Since the social worker will have a lot of information about the patient’s lifestyle and resources, these meal plans can be designed to be realistic for the patient and not out of reach of their budget and ability.
Healthcare social workers help decrease the cost of healthcare
Good physical fitness improves the health of patients. While a lot is being done to keep insurance premiums and copays low, the cost of healthcare overall is on the rise. When there are fewer claims and those claims are for easier-to-treat conditions, the cost of premiums can be kept lower. Fitness and nutrition should be considered preventative care since they can prevent some conditions from occurring or at least getting more serious and requiring more expensive treatments and care.
Social workers help patients during and after physical therapy
Many people are assigned physical therapy sessions with a professional for at least a moderate length of time after an injury or surgery. Some people may require physical therapy for longer periods of time, especially if they are confined to a convalescent care center. When physical therapy ends, it is important for people to continue exercising and eating right. A healthcare social worker can help patients plan for when they go home or when in-person physical therapy ends. Offering the supplies and instructions necessary to keep up the good work will help improve the long-term health outcomes of patients. Helping people get back to work sooner and maintaining good health helps out families a lot and decreases the likelihood that a patient will not be able to go back to their career of choice.
How to become a healthcare social worker
There are many reasons why healthcare social workers are in high demand. For starters, there is a large population of aging adults who have increasing care needs. Adults are living longer and increasingly living with chronic conditions that require regular checkups and treatments. Unfortunately, there are more younger people experiencing chronic conditions in the past. Some of these conditions can highly benefit from establishing a good physical fitness routine.
Gain a social work degree
A degree in social work is required for any position, particularly those in the healthcare niche. Other than in-person fieldwork experience, many social work degrees can be completed entirely online. State licensing requirements can vary but typically involve a test and background check. If you have any kind of criminal offenses on your record, it is important to check and make sure these will not prevent you from gaining a license. But don’t let this deter you—social workers come from many different backgrounds and experience levels, and some came into the area of helping others by pulling themselves out of bad circumstances.
Many social work positions require a master’s degree. Florida State University offers an MSW degree that can be completed in just two years for those who already have a bachelor’s degree in social work. If you have a bachelor’s degree in another field, you can still earn your social work degree in just three years of online instruction on FSU’s traditional program. The advanced program will prepare you for any state licensing exams and ensure that you have the skills you need to help people from all walks of life. Now is a great time to take the next step towards a new and exciting career and increase your earning potential.
Consider an internship or volunteering
Working with people provides a great experience that you can use in your professional life. If you have a particular area of social work that interests you more than others, then you should consider finding opportunities to volunteer or gain an internship where you can hone your skills.
Hospitals, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and more all have volunteer opportunities that can allow you to gain experience working with others in a healthcare setting. The more you understand the needs and problems that people are facing at healthcare facilities, the better you will be at your future job. Volunteering also looks very good on a resume and can even lead to special consideration when job opportunities arise at the places you volunteer or within their network of care centers.
Consider where you want to do your fieldwork placement
All degree seekers must complete at least one field placement to earn their degree. If you have time to plan out your field placement, you may be able to get more out of it than you might expect. For example, if you want to be a healthcare social worker, then a field placement at a hospital may be the best choice for you.
Scouting out a good location in advance can be beneficial; however, it is important to remember that practically any social work program that is worth doing offers help with field placements. Just make sure you let your advisors know your intentions if you have decided to take it upon yourself to find a placement, and they can help you with the process. Plus, they have to approve your location for it to count for your degree program.
Work on practical social work skills
It is important to be able to communicate well in both verbal and written forms. This means knowing how to talk to people from many different backgrounds so they can understand you well. Being clear and concise in all your communications saves time and helps avoid any misunderstandings.
Writing and speaking classes or workshops can be helpful.
Practice being a good listener and being empathetic
Patients and clients want to know that you are paying attention to everything they have to say. This means you need to work on being an attentive listener while using good body language and expressing empathy when appropriate.
Learn to ask the right questions
Asking good questions that are somewhat open-ended helps establish trust with a patient and gets them to open up and tell you useful information. Avoiding phrasing that can be triggering is important.
Sometimes, simple questions will lead you to some major answers to more serious questions that it would be a mistake to ask in a very forthright manner. Practice learning how to read people and make good judgments on their current mental state before asking some questions. There are times when it is better to ask some things than others.
Become more culturally aware
It’s important to make an effort to be culturally aware in your practice. This means learning about common religious customs, issues specific communities are facing, or any other relevant information.
Social workers are vital in promoting fitness
Physical fitness is important to the overall well-being and quality of life of any patient in the healthcare system. Social workers can help patients plan and stick to fitness routines and nutritional plans, and by encouraging physical fitness and good nutrition, social workers increase the odds of a positive health outcome in patients recovering from injuries, surgeries, treatments, and more. This decreases the odds of patients being readmitted.