New Resources for Social Workers

The Council of Nephrology Social Workers has announced that two new products are available to help social workers help patients.

One is Living Longer, Living Better which is a program that was designed for use to help patients understand and reduce behaviors that contribute to cardiovascular disease so they can “live longer and live better.” A kit of materials is being sent to every U.S. dialysis facility social worker for free that contains:
• A Patient Education Video
• A Flip Chart
• A User Guide for the Social Worker
• A CD-ROM (containing digital copies of the Flip Chart, the User Guide for the Social Worker, and four patient handouts.)
• A Notepad “My Wellness Goals”
• An Evaluation Card / Letter to the Social Worker

For questions regarding implementation of the program, contact Mary Beth Callahan, ACSW/LCSW at callahanm@dneph.com or Stephanie Johnstone at sjs555@aol.com.

The other is a manual on transplantation for dialysis social workers. This low cost manual contains information about:
• Kidney Transplant vs. Dialysis
• Being Evaluated For A Kidney Transplant
• The Waiting List
• Living Donor vs. Deceased Donor
• Psychosocial Consideration-The Psychosocial Evaluation
• Approval/Denial Process
• Financial Considerations

Contact the National Kidney Foundation at 800-622-9010 for more information about this manual.