New Materials for Social Workers

[Beth Witten MSW ACSW]

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.