In my current position as the Senior Social Worker / Acting Caregiver Support Coordinator, I am tasked with completing initial assessments that determine whether or not Veterans and their identified Caregivers meet criteria for the stipend program. For those Veterans already in our program with Caregivers who receive stipends, I focus on determining whether or not they continue to meet criteria for the program and if the level of care provided by the Caregiver has changed or remains the same. Each assessment requires me to engage the Veteran, Caregiver, treatment team members, and reviewing the medical record before finalizing a decision. These Veterans have a variety of service connected disabilities and diagnoses requiring them to be assisted …show more content…
Recently, I have taken the lead with revamping the monthly Caregiver Support Group. The newly implemented changes include a convenient parking location for Caregivers at the Fisher House II during lower traffic times (11 AM) with the option for Caregivers to call in via VANTS line. In addition, I have coordinated with various speakers so the topics are already scheduled and pertain to Caregivers or resources that will help them and the Veterans. Though we have just begun, Caregivers are already reserving space for future topics and utilizing the VANTS line. I have also incorporated some topics that allow Caregivers to attend with the Veterans after learning that many Caregivers do not want to leave the Veterans alone while they attend a support group. I anticipate this will provide a bonding experience for the Caregivers and Veterans that will ultimately benefit each of …show more content…
Anticipating high recidivism rates of psychiatric patients and factoring the short-length of stay on the Inpatient Psychiatry Unit, I took this a step further by planning for ongoing support. Typically, a brief solution-focused therapy and crisis intervention model were utilized. I organized a weekly group focused on crisis management. During that time, I had Veterans evaluate their most recent crisis; identify triggers, warning signs, positive forms of coping, and sources of support. They were then given a list of recommendations which encouraged them to ask for help, evaluate the information being provided by others, maintain medication compliance, attend appointments, and remove or limit access to any identified means of harm. Veterans were encouraged to share this with those in their identified support system (if any). I also presented this information to the multidisciplinary team and advocated for consideration of these factors during the Veteran’s treatment and discharge planning. In essence, each Veteran was given the opportunity to create a safety plan and prepare for a
Long-term care (LTC) covers a wide range of clinical and social services for those who need assistance due to functional limitations. These limitations usually result from complications associated with age related chronic conditions, from disabilities related to birth defects, brain damage, or mental retardation in children; or from major illnesses or injuries suffered by adults (Shi L. & Singh D.A., 2011). LTC encompasses a variety of services including traditional clinical services, social services and housing. Unlike acute care, long-term care is much more complicated and has objectives that are much harder to measure. Acute care mainly focuses on returning patients to their previous functional level and is primarily provided by specialty providers. However, LTC mainly focuses on preventing the physical and mental deterioration of an individual and promoting social adjustments to suit the different stages of decline. In addition the providers of LTC are more diverse than those in acute care and is offered in both formal and informal settings, which include: hospitals, physicians, home care, adult day care, nursing home care, assisted living and even informal caregivers such as friends and family members. Long-term care services have been dominated by community based services, which include informal care (86%, about 10 to 11 million) and formal institutional care delivered in nursing facilities (14%, 1.6 million) (McCall, 2001). Of more than the 10 million Americans estimated to require LTC services, 58% are elderly and 42% are under the age of 65 (Shi L. & Singh D.A., 2011). The users of LTC are either frail elderly or disabled and because of the specific care needs of this population, the care varies based on an indiv...
All trained professionals associating with possible suicidal veterans need additional training, so they are capable of handling the situations and noticing the signs of suicide. Mazza, Giuliana, and Puskar emphasize the idea of evaluating the safety of every patient during each encounter is very important (4). Trained professionals should never miss an opportunity to prevent suicide from occurring. There is also a need for professionals to understand what the soldier went through during active duty, but they must also fight the stigma that a soldier asking for help is a sign of weakness. In an article John McCarthy et al. agrees that professionals have to be capable of reviewing patients risk for suicide, but it requires a high level of clinical skill, and the ability to give soldiers a reason to trust (1935). Bossarte, Claassen, and Knox add that both the psychological and physical trauma connected to combat increases the risk for suicide (460). When soldiers are injured in war they are often medicated on the battlefield with drugs so they can return to the war as quickly as possible (McCarl 409). This can led to veteran’s dependency on drugs, or the idea that they need to suppress feelings and emotions and it is easier than dealing with them. The veteran coming home needs access to trained assistance at all times, but those assisting have to truly care and want to prevent anything bad from happening to the new veteran. McCarl mentions the situations when Randen, a soldier, seeks help numerous times from the VA, but he is sent home repeatedly without any help. Continuously seeking assistance is a cry for help and signifies the severity of the situation for that soldier (Mazza, Guiliana, and
Kessler, R. C. (2008). Disruption of Existing Mental Health Treatments and Failure to Initiate New Treatment After Hurricane Katrina. American Journal Of Psychiatry, 165(1), 34-41. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07030502
This program has started to help caregiver injury and generate economic benefits. Through the implementation of this program, a number of healthcare institutions have reached better outcomes. Some of the clinical results are:
Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one wink because every time you close your eyes you are forced to relive memories from the past that you are trying to bury deep. This is what happens to the unfortunate men and women who are struggling with PTSD. Veterans that are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder deserve the help they need.
A survey of OEF/OIF Veterans identified major rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol-related problems, social and family problems, and suicidal behavior. However the most alarming statistic is not about deployment rates or rates of diagnoses, the most alarming fact is that fewer than 10% of those diagnosed with PTSD or depression have received the recommended the mental health treatment upon re-integration into society. The dropout rate at the Veterans Association (VA) PTSD clinics is distressingly high as well when looking into VA records it was found that 68% of OEF/OIF Veterans dropped out of their prescribed counseling and programs prior to completion (Garcia et al., 2014). Because most of these men were deployed mul...
Communication can affect relationships in an adult social care setting. Care workers must having clear and open communication to help, build and maintain relationships that are built on trust and understanding. It is important that social communicate with individuals in a good and understanding manner therefore, the communication will be effective. The individual and the social worker need to understand each other clearly in order for the individual to receive the best possible care as possible. Effective communication includes the social care worker to speak clearly, use phrases and sentences that the individual can understand. This social workers communication
Necessary Behavioral Mental Health intervention does not end at the point first responders have successfully contained the actual crisis. The ongoing need for Behavioral Mental Health services will continue for an extended length of time when a traumatic event such as that depicted in the scenario occur. A copious number of individuals will have ...
States obtain many services that fall under mental health care, and that treat the mentally ill population. These range from acute and long-term hospital treatment, to supportive housing. Other effective services utilized include crisis intervention teams, case management, Assertive Community Treatment programs, clinic services, and access to psychiatric medications (Honberg at al. 6). These services support the growing population of people living in the...
The patient may need assistance caring for himself following discharge from the hospital. The daughter lives too far to assist her father on a daily basis. The case worker needs to determine how much the daughter is willing to assist her father during the transition. The daughter may be willing to become her father’s caregiver during the initial recovery period. She would also be a good support system by providing medication reminders, encouraging medication compliance, dietary restriction compliance and promoting positive health behaviors.
The ABC model of crisis intervention refers to the conduction of very brief mental health interviews with clients whose functioning level has decreased following a psychosocial stressor also known as a crisis (Kanel, 2007). This method was first introduced by Gerald Caplan and Eric Lindemann in the 1940s, other variations of this model have developed over the years. The ABC model is a 3 step problem-focused approach used to provide temporary and immediate relief that has been known to work best when applied within 4 to 6 weeks of the precipitating event (Kaplan, 2007). The focus of the ABC model is to identify the aspects of a crisis or precipitating event, the client 's perceptions about the event, personal anguish, failed internal coping
The Psychosocial Recovery and Rehabilitation Center (PRRC) is an outpatient multidisciplinary treatment program with the Veterans Affairs Hospital, and serves Veterans with severe mental illness such as Psychosis, Schizoaffective Disorder, Major Affective Disorder and PTSD. PRRC currently utilizes the Recovery Model and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The purpose of this program is to help rehabilitate and integrate Veterans back into the community. PRRC is a step away from the medical model, in which a treatment plan is made for the Veteran. In this program Veterans are able to create their own treatment plans for goals that consist of going back to school, getting a job, starting a new relationship, etc.
Within the elderly community, the existence of activities and interaction with others creates an impact on the elderly daily living. As being a provider in a home health facility, there has been a substantial amount of complaints from family members due to the lack of socializing by their loved ones. When dealing with quality care of the elderly, relationships is a major form of communication that allows each individual the opportunity to express their emotions, and continue his/her consistency of motor skills. Relationships with others are normally formed in senior citizen centers, senior communities and/or with home health
Caregiving is an essential and very necessary aspect of the medical field. However, caregiving is also one of the most strenuous and stressful positions that exists. The patients require constant supervision, precise care and an extremely high level of patience, tolerance and skill. Eventually, this type of care begins to take a physical, emotional and financial toll on the caregiver. Because of the adverse effects of this profession, the Theory of Caregiver Stress was developed to aid those working in this difficult profession.
After having attained a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and a Master’s degree in Gerontology, I felt I should gain some first-hand experience in physical therapy and thus volunteered to work as a caregiver in a reputed Evergreen rehabilitation center Ga. However, while working as a caregiver I realized I needed to learn much more in order to provide better care in meeting the psychological and physical caring needs of the elderly. I have always had the inherent desire to serve the elderly in reducing their hardships and providing them with the much needed physical and psychological support so that they can lead a happy and trouble-free life.