Care Management collaboration leads to a better home
Margaret was living on her own when her mood changed. She stopped taking care of herself, refusing to adjust her diet for her medical concerns. Margaret was also not taking her medication as prescribed.
This worried Margaret’s family. Even though Margaret’s sister had her own challenges with a husband who was sick, her sister decided to take her in. After all, Margaret was family.
Margaret’s Care Manager Samantha noticed how hard it was for the sister to take care of Margaret. So, Samantha brought her concerns to a meeting with her supervisor, Argyro. They discussed the situation and talked about options that may suit Margaret.
Samantha consulted Margaret and her family with a plan she and her supervisor worked out. It was a special housing program through OPWDD for Margaret. It would allow her to be where others could care for her and take the burden off her sister. Samantha applied for the housing program. Once, twice…four times over several months, but still, she couldn’t get Margaret access.
The turning point
Then Margaret got sick. She fell septic and had a cardiac arrest. This put her in the hospital. As soon as she was past the critical point, Margaret was placed in a rehabilitation center.
Samantha saw this as a chance to try again for the special housing. A rehab center was not an appropriate place to live. So, Samantha used Margaret’s new medical status to get her on the list as she and Argyro had discussed. This time it worked, and Margaret was selected for the special housing. Samantha was so relieved to see that her effort finally worked!
“Samantha made sure Margaret got the right priority,” said Argyro, Samantha’s boss. ” Samantha and I visited Margaret in rehab to tell her she made the list.”
Margaret was so happy to hear it. Samantha even called Margaret’s sister to share the great news.
Samantha and Argyro know that teaming up in Care Management makes a big difference for Members. Their persistence showed true care for Margaret when she was in a situation where she could no longer return to where she considered home. She found a new home at last.
The name of the Member has been changed to protect their privacy.