The FAMCare Blog

In our last post, we talked about how we are constantly in hackathon mode and how listening to and working with social workers in the field helps us find better solutions. In talking to those caseworkers and their supervisors recently, we were able to pull together a list of some of the top things that cause them frustration. Here is what they said and how we can help solve the problems.

The things you do as a caseworker can have a great impact on the lives of those in your care. You are both the lead investigator and client advocate. You recommend what social services would best fit their needs. You give support and referrals, then follow up on each client’s progress. It is a demanding, but rewarding job. You're helping people improve their situations and create a better life in the long run.

Nobody understands your stress and how to deal with it better than those in the trenches with you. In previous blogs we have shared ideas on both physical and mental ways to create some level of case manager stress relief. But for today’s post, we talked to case managers and mental health professionals who deal with the stress of the job every day and asked them to share the best ways they find stress relief.

Our senior population continues to grow, with the aging of the baby boomers. And with the glut of older citizens comes a glut of issues that elder care workers must deal with. There are health issues – both physical and mental. Muscles and bones get weaker, senses start to fail – hearing, eyesight, even touch, taste and smell, in some cases. And then there’s the loss of mental facilities. About 10% of people over 65 suffer from some form of dementia and it goes up to 32% for those over 85.

You have good caseworkers who are committed to their clients. They work long hours and go above and beyond to make sure everyone is getting the help they need. Yet, it’s still too easy for someone to slip through the cracks if you’re using an antiquated or old school record system. Or if the caseworker is overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time to do it. Using the right case management software can alleviate some of these issues and help make sure nobody falls through the cracks.

We are in an unprecedented stretch of strong economic conditions where where there are more jobs then job applicants. Yet, there are still many children and families who are suffering and in need of government agency help. So many, in fact, that human services caseworkers often still feel overwhelmed by heavy caseloads and the accompanying paperwork.

We know that being a case manager comes with a lot of different stressors. It's just part of the job. But we want to help ease some of that stress. This is another post in our ongoing series of blogs on case manager stress relief.

When it comes to your clients and your fellow caseworkers, nothing is more important than meeting face-to-face. The more time spent directly with your client, the more likely you are to achieve the individual case goals and fulfill the mission focus. On paper it seems simple and obvious, yet paper is exactly what continues getting in the way. That’s where having the right human services software comes in.

A caseworker’s job consists of many facets: assessing client needs, home visits, evaluations, reporting, listening to concerns, problem solving, providing referrals and the list goes on. While wanting to collaborate with coworkers and the community on projects is always the goal, the ability to do so can often be hindered by a caseworker’s workload. Fortunately, with the right case management software in place, increased collaboration can be possible.

We’ve already discussed how nonprofit software solutions make it possible for your organization to focus more of its time on the mission, but we’d like to take it a step further. Not only can the right software solution provide an organization with more time to focus on the mission, it can also help you manage relationships better.