This textbook on palliative social work is a companion volume to the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine and the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Nursing. To that end, this chapter will accomplish the following:

♦Genetics contributes to the etiology and expression of significant health conditions and well-being at all stages of the life span, including genetic legacy issues at the end of life.

♦The conceptualization of family includes social, psychological, environmental, and genetic interactions.

♦Interdisciplinary teamwork with medical geneticists and genetic counselors becomes an increasingly important component of social work practice as genetic information, a complex subject open to misinterpretations, ethical debate, and highly personal decision making, continues to evolve rapidly.