Family Consultation
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Case Study - Continued
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Last Tuesday evening, Mary was again called from the emergency room where her Mother had been taken after a fall. This time, Mary was unable to get to Carmel until the next day but agonized the whole time about not being there.

The staff at the hospital is concerned that Barbara's strength has declined and they recommend that she attend physical rehabilitation twice a week for the next three weeks.

They also suggested that Barbara have in-home help. Mary has no experience obtaining in-home health care in Carmel or how to go about arranging her mother's therapy. She is seriously considering asking Barbara to sell her home and move to Marin to be near her family. Barbara has no desire to leave Carmel and doesn't want to be a burden to her family

At wit's end, Mary calls Elder Focus in Carmel to discuss care management options for Barbara. Elder Focus assigns Tina, a licensed clinical social worker and certified care manager practicing in the Carmel area to do the intake. Tina and Mary discuss the family history and Barbara's current situation on the phone. Tina suggests several strategies for Mary which could address the issues with Barbara and her family.

As a result of this consultation, Mary and Tina decide to pursue a care management approach to improve Barbara's living situation, reduce risk and improve her quality of life living independently at home. Tina will also create a plan to smoothly transition Barbara to assisted living if necessary in the future. She will prepare an evaluation of the entitlements and financial aspects of Barbara's care. <Next>