Since the events of October 7, wounded IDF soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been receiving specialized support from social workers at Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Israel. The social workers support the injured throughout their recovery, from admission to discharge – and beyond.
Inbar Singer. Photography: Rambam HCC
Post-traumatic stress disorder is triggered by a traumatic or terrifying event (like war) and causes severe long-term anxiety. Trained to listen and connect with patients, in addition to providing important social services, Rambam’s social workers serve as a listening ear for the wounded and their families, with the goal of preventing post-trauma.
Since the beginning of the war, soldiers with complicated injuries have been airlifted to Rambam and treated in in the Green-Wagner Department of Emergency Medicine. A multi-disciplinary, expert care team, including social workers, attends to the wounded soldiers before transferring them to other hospital departments.
“Our work is difficult but immensely satisfying,” says Inbar Singer, a social worker in Rambam’s intensive care unit. “Support comes from family, friends, acquaintances, and society. The patient’s family is often in denial until they see the injuries with their own eyes and only then they begin to process it.”
Singer continues, “Some soldiers remember the details of the event or their injuries, and they ask questions. Others don’t, but they recall their last conversation in the field. I encourage them to ask questions to help them confront their trauma. They want to talk about their fellow soldiers’ experiences and they want their loved ones – those close to them – at their bedside.”
Many injured soldiers undergo difficult treatments that require a huge physical and emotional investment, including limb amputation. “One of my patient’s injuries was unbearable, but he understood and came to terms with the amputation. Although a painful and difficult path lay ahead, he was relieved to be starting a new life.” Singer adds, “Sometimes patients don’t want to involve their families or to appear weak, I am there for them.”
Slowly, the patients open up. Flashbacks, anxiety, grieving a fellow fallen soldier or friend, culture, and personal issues are just some of the challenges that patients and their social workers deal with.
Sandra Abu-Hamoud is a social worker in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery. She explains the importance of being there for her patients from admission to discharge. “We help connect our patients with community support services, which take over their medical and emotional care once they are discharged.” Building trust helps patients open up and contributes to their emotional healing. She shares that one patient, injured at one of the kibbutzim in the south, was severely traumatized. “He shared everything with me.”
“Our job requires flexibility, creativity, and adaptability,” explains Itay Levy, a social worker who is also a psychotherapist. “Each case differs, and everyone has specific needs; a wounded soldier is different from a victim at the party or someone from one of the kibbutzim.”
“We work more on social aspects – connection to the community and society – but we are also involved in mental health care," Levy says. “A lot of flexibility, creativity and adaptation is required.” Indeed, although social workers must help with societal needs like finding appropriate accommodation and dealing with Israel’s social welfare departments, organizations, and the community, they are also essential in helping to meet a patient’s emotional needs. Even after working-hours or when their patients are discharged, social workers remain available to support their patients. The social workers attest to becoming part of their patients’ family for a while, and the patients become a part of the social workers lives.
Rambam’s social workers help their patients integrate back into society, but, they too, face many challenges. Their dedication to helping the wounded and their families is evident in their commitment to their jobs during one of the most challenging times of their patient’s lives.
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