Social work practice with older persons in acute care settings: A narrative review of social workers’ roles as advocates for older persons’ rights

Abstract

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) suggests that all individuals have the right to participate in decisions about their care. This rights-based framework calls on healthcare professionals such as social workers to prioritize older persons’ rights to participate in care decisions that affect them. Hence, this review examines how social workers in acute care settings are positioned to act as advocates. We conducted a narrative review of literature using five scientific databases—CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Social Work Abstracts, and Social Sciences Abstracts, and one search engine, Google Scholar. Of 83 articles identified, 26 were selected for full-text review. We performed a thematic analysis to examine how and when social workers advocate for older persons’ rights. Of 26 articles reviewed, 18 included perspectives of interprofessional team members. Thematic analysis revealed three main roles of social workers in acute care: coordinator, mediator, and advocate. While coordinating and mediating roles were widely recognized and valued as they prioritize system efficiency and service navigation, advocacy aimed at promoting older persons’ rights was less visible and harder to enact. Social workers face many challenges in acting as advocates because they are most valued within hospital settings for their roles as coordinators and mediators. Further research is needed to identify how social workers can consistently prioritize their role as advocates. Without these guidelines, older persons’ right to care involvement will not be realized and rights claims will continue to be sidelined by the rhetoric of efficiency and risk protection.