March is the month to honor unsung heroes of the workforce: social workers. There are over 700,000 social workers in the United States, and the profession is growing. Social workers dedicate their lives to helping others navigate challenges. They counsel those with mental health and addiction issues, help families navigate foster care and adoption, counsel students, and are essential in a myriad of interdisciplinary teams, including those in hospitals, advocacy organizations, and elder law firms.
When I transitioned to the practice of elder law, it was important to me to work for a firm employing social workers. After 10 years of practicing law, I learned that legal remedies are often band-aids to larger systemic problems that I do not have the skills to resolve. For instance, I can stop or delay a sheriff’s sale of a family home, but could not address the underemployment due to chronic, untreated mental health issues that led to delinquency in the first place. Social workers, however, have these skills.
At Rothkoff Law Group, the Elder Care Coordinators (ECC) who serve as social workers are indispensable. Our ECCs know the level of care senior clients need, understand which facilities are best for clients and their families, can talk with families about the right time to move mom into a facility, are a frontline advocate for better care, can address challenging family dynamics, and are able to discuss hospice with families. My summary of their work is only a tiny snippet of their contribution to the firm. I cannot imagine practicing elder law without them. Thank you to our ECCs and all social workers for working tirelessly to help people improve their lives.