Home Health Medical Social Work in Tampa

A serious illness rarely affects only the body. A new diagnosis or a long recovery can bring money worries, questions about living alone, stress for the family caregiver and hard choices about the future. When those worries get in the way of getting better, a medical social worker can help.

Home health medical social work in Tampa brings a trained medical social worker to your home as part of your plan of care. Your social worker listens, helps you sort out what is most pressing, and connects you with practical help. They work alongside your nurse and therapists, so the support you get fits your medical needs.

Making Memories Home Health is a Medicare-certified, Joint Commission accredited home health agency based in Tampa. We serve families in Tampa, Plant City, Lakeland and other communities across Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties, in English or Spanish.

Every family’s needs are different. Your social worker may help with:

Community resources: finding meal programs, transportation to medical visits, support groups and local services for older adults
Benefits and assistance: explaining programs you may qualify for, such as Medicaid or help with prescription costs, and walking you through how to apply
Long-term planning: thinking ahead about what comes next if your needs change, such as more help at home, assisted living or another level of care
Advance directives information: explaining what a living will and a health care surrogate are, helping you talk through your wishes with family, and sharing where to find the forms
Caregiver stress: support for the family member doing most of the caregiving, including ideas for respite, sharing the load and caring for their own health
Emotional support: a calm person to talk with when a new diagnosis, a loss of independence or a long recovery feels overwhelming
Safety concerns at home: helping the team respond when a person lives alone, struggles to manage, or may not be safe without more support

Your social worker does not replace your lawyer, financial advisor or counselor. They help you understand your options and connect you with the right people.

A social work visit may help if:

You are worried about paying for medicines, food or utilities
You live alone and need a plan for errands, meals or rides to the doctor
A family member is caring for you and is close to burning out
You want to talk through your care wishes and who will speak for you if you cannot
Your family is unsure whether home is still the safest place and needs guidance
Stress, worry or sadness about your illness is making it hard to follow your care plan

To qualify, you need to be receiving home health care. That means a doctor or allowed practitioner (a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or physician assistant) has ordered skilled nursing, physical therapy, speech-language therapy or continued occupational therapy, and reviews your plan of care. You also need to be homebound: leaving home takes considerable and taxing effort, though short, infrequent trips for medical care, religious services or adult day care are allowed.

Medical social work is not a stand-alone service. It supports the skilled care your doctor orders. Often your nurse or therapist is the first to notice a need and suggests a social work visit.

Part of your care team

Your social worker shares what they learn with your skilled nursing team and therapists, and the team keeps your doctor informed. If you are caring for someone at home, a home health aide may also help with bathing and personal care while your loved one recovers, when it is part of the plan of care.

Family caregivers carry a lot. Our guide to supporting family caregivers has more ideas. If you are bringing a loved one home after a hospital stay, read coming home after a hospital stay.

Medicare can cover medical social services when your doctor orders them to help with social and emotional concerns related to your illness, and when they are part of a home health plan of care. To use the home health benefit, you must:

Have a doctor or allowed practitioner certify your need for care and review your plan of care
Need part-time or intermittent skilled nursing, physical therapy or speech-language therapy, or continued occupational therapy
Be homebound
Have a face-to-face visit with a provider, related to the reason for care, within the 90 days before or the 30 days after care starts
Receive care from a Medicare-certified agency, like Making Memories Home Health

Medical social work alone does not qualify you for home health. Medicare Advantage plans set their own rules. Read more on our Medicare home health page, see the insurance plans we accept, and call (813) 931-0015 to verify your coverage.

Talk to your doctor. Ask about home health care and request a referral to Making Memories Home Health that includes medical social work. If you are in the hospital, ask the discharge planner.
Call us at (813) 931-0015. If you already receive care from us, tell your nurse or therapist that you would like a social work visit.
Your doctor sends the referral. Doctors and discharge planners can send a referral online or by fax.
Your first visit. A nurse or therapist comes to your home, reviews your needs and asks about the concerns at home.
Your plan of care. Your doctor approves social work visits as part of your plan, and your social worker calls to set a time.

Have questions about whether a social worker could help your family? Call Making Memories Home Health at (813) 931-0015, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Frequently asked questions

What does a home health medical social worker do?

A medical social worker helps with the problems an illness creates outside the body: money worries, living alone, caregiver stress and decisions about the future. They connect you with community resources, explain benefits and help you plan, while your nurse and therapists handle the medical side.

Can I get a social worker without nursing or therapy?

Not through home health. Medical social work supports the skilled nursing or therapy your doctor orders, so it is part of a plan of care that includes those services. If you only need help finding resources, we can point you toward community organizations that may help.

Does Medicare cover medical social work at home?

Medicare can cover medical social services when your doctor orders them as part of a home health plan of care and you also qualify for skilled nursing or therapy. Medicare Advantage plans have their own rules. Call (813) 931-0015 to verify your coverage.

How do I ask for a social work visit?

If you already receive home health care from us, tell your nurse or therapist, or call our office at (813) 931-0015. If you are just starting, ask your doctor or the hospital discharge planner to include medical social work in your referral. Your doctor approves the visit as part of your plan of care.

Can a social worker help us fill out legal forms like a living will?

A social worker can explain what advance directives are, help you think through your wishes and share where to find Florida forms. They do not give legal advice or act as your lawyer. For legal questions, they can help you find legal aid or other resources.

Where we provide medical social work

We visit patients at home in Hillsborough, Polk and Manatee counties, including:

Tampa · Brandon · Riverview · Plant City · Temple Terrace · Lutz · Carrollwood · Town 'n' Country · Lakeland · Winter Haven · Bradenton · Lakewood Ranch

Hillsborough County · Polk County · Manatee County

Insurance we accept

We accept Traditional Medicare, plus long-term care plans and private pay. Medicare Advantage coverage and our participation depend on your specific plan, so we verify both before care starts. Call (813) 931-0015 to verify your coverage. See insurance we accept.

Doctors, hospital discharge planners and case managers can send a home health referral by fax to (813) 931-0017. How to refer a patient.

Other services

Making Memories Home Health provides home health care services.

Skilled Nursing · Wound Care · Home IV Therapy · Catheter Care · Medication Management · Physical Therapy · Occupational Therapy · Speech Therapy · Home Health Aide · Medicare Home Health · Home Care & Long-Term Care