Community Identification
The County of Whitfield, Georgia, includes urban and suburban areas, with such major cities as Dalton and Varnell. According to the 2010 US Census Bureau, the total population of Whitfield County accounted for 102, 559 persons and 291 square miles (“QuickFacts: Whitfield County, Georgia,” 2019). The cultural composition of the identified county is multifaceted as there are 76.6% of Whites, 1.3% of Asians, 3.7% of African-Americans, 15% of other nationalities, and 0.6% American-Indians. In addition, 35.9% of the population is identified as being of Hispanic or Latino origin. In terms of education, 69.4% of residents are high school graduates, and 15.7% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. There are 23% of people under age 65 who have no insurance, which, along with a lack of education, makes them vulnerable to low wages and health care access challenges. The median household income is $46,970, and 14.2% of the population lives in poverty (“QuickFacts: Whitfield County, Georgia,” 2019). Insufficient resources complicate the situation by limiting access to healthcare, proper rest, and other vital needs.
Social and Non-Social Service Agencies
Social services that are located in Whitfield are, but not limited to, Hope Georgia, the Salvation Army Dalton, the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), and the Family Support Council. The latter operates to prevent child abuse by promoting the building of nurturing and strong families. This organization delivers organizational and developmental programs to help parents. In turn, the Salvation Army Dalton includes such services as disaster relief, transitional housing, utilities and rent assistance, and food help (“The Salvation Army Dalton,” 2019). The DFCS examines the reports on child abuse and helps families in need.
Hope Georgia is the local provider of mental health services, which targets the increase in care access in the given county. It also helps people having substance abuse issues and families with complex relationships. The organization cooperates with the community resources to assist people in achieving meaningful living. 90% of services are provided in the homes of its clients or schools to address transportation barriers (“Our philosophy,” 2020). In addition, the Teletherapy program is available for the convenience of citizens. The key advantage of Hope Georgia is that it offers a patient-centered specialty practice, which means that they focus on integrated healthcare.
Whitfield’s non-social service agencies are the Whitfield Nursing Home, the Northwest Whitfield High School, the Beaverdale Elementary school, and so on. The main goal of these services is to ensure that target populations receive necessary information and guidance regarding their health and well-being. For example, the Whitfield Nursing Home is the facility that strives to make older adults feel like at home, while making sure that they receive high-quality and individualized services (“Whitfield Nursing Home,” 2019). The mentioned schools hire social workers and assign their students with the role of volunteers and service providers. The Northwest Whitfield High School works with the county’s health organizations to monitor the disease spread and help patients in need. The contribution of the above non-service facility allows for establishing and maintaining a vibrant community. The Beaverdale Elementary school designs an After School Care program by engaging children to enter the Boys and Girls Club (“School beginning and end times,” 2020). In terms of this program, children have a safe and familiar environment, which is a part of professional school-based care.
Personal Interest
Of all the positions of social work, I would prefer working with older adult patients in nursing homes. For an elderly person, the placement in the nursing home is emotional stress, which adversely affects the state of health, has a negative impact on social activity, and can cause a mental disorder. The activities of a social worker depend on the stage of passing through the socio-psychological adaptation of older adult people. The role of the social worker is to facilitate the adaptation of the elderly person in the new environment. I understand that older adults need special care to remain active and interested in living, and I am glad to help them with these tasks.
In addition, my activity as a social worker can be aimed at providing goods to residents of the nursing home or purchasing medicines on prescription. I believe that an individual approach to every resident citizen, taking into account all their wishes, is the key to successful adaptation and active living in this period of life. Another important issue is maintaining contacts with relatives and friends. Social workers assist them in this by helping with writing and sending letters and communicating via the Internet. I consider that my assistance would help older adults not only to adjust to the changes, but also to make them happier.
Conclusion
To conclude, the review of the County of Whitfield shows that it is a multicultural and underserved community with various social work services. The moderate level of poverty and a lack of insurance that s faced by many people increase the importance of both social and non-social service agencies. Personally, I would prefer working in a nursing home since I am motivated to help older adults to accept changes and live happily despite their age-related challenges.
References
QuickFacts: Whitfield County, Georgia. (2019). Web.
Our philosophy. (2020). Web.
Whitfield Nursing Home. (2019). Web.
The Salvation Army Dalton. (2019). Web.
School beginning and end times. (2020). Web.