National Association of Social Workers

End-of-Life Decisions Capture Attention

For Social Workers, the Issues Are Not Unfamiliar

NASW has been a leader on addressing end-of-life issues.

By Lyn Stoesen, News Staff

Illustration: John Michael Yanson

Death and dying and end-of-life care decisions — topics long considered difficult to talk about and often avoided — came into clear focus this spring with the media coverage surrounding Terri Schiavo, who died after her feeding tube was removed following years of legal battles.

Questions about Schiavo's condition — who should make medical decisions on her behalf, what her wishes were — and her death focused a spotlight on end-of-life concerns and engendered discussions within the media, among politicians and across kitchen tables throughout the United States.

But for social workers, these issues were not unfamiliar. Social workers have long been grappling with such concerns, and in recent years have taken major steps toward advancing the profession's capacity to lead the way in helping people with end-of-life and palliative care decisions.

Gathering experts. Social work leaders on palliative and end-of-life care recently met in Washington, D.C., for the Second Social Work Summit on End-of-Life and Palliative Care to continue working to advance the role of the profession [see related story.]

The first End-of-Life and Palliative Care Summit, held in Durham, N.C., in 2002, was organized to formalize the collaborative effort within the profession. Participants in the Durham summit identified priorities, which included: creating a coalition of experts; promoting advocacy, networking and information sharing; developing standards of practice; increasing research and content in end-of-life and palliative care in education programs; and increasing public awareness about the psychosocial dimensions of end-of-life and palliative care work and the role of social workers.

The second summit, held in June at NASW headquarters, was called to continue working toward these priorities and to identify key strategies for achieving the goals.

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From July 2005 NASW News. © 2005 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.