The Case of Lonnie And Dorothy

THE CASE OF LONNIE AND DOROTHY

• Identify and prioritize the needs that Lonnie and Dorothy have.
• Describe the necessary case management roles and purposes for each of the three most important needs Lonnie and Dorothy have.
• Evaluate the benefits counseling and case management will have on assisting Lonnie and Dorothy with their current and future life stressors.

1. FAMILY ISSUES

1. Health

Physical Health: Lonnie and Dorothy have medical problems.

Lonnie, 62:  Unknown medical problems. Just started.

Dorothy, 60: Heart problems. Receives disability benefits.

Mental Health.

Lonnie: Unknown.

Dorothy: Tendency to be paranoid.

1. Income

Lonnie: Janitor at Nursing Home. Full-Time.

Dorothy: Disability Assistance. Unemployed.

1. Social Context

Lonnie and Dorothy: Lack of interaction, lack of communication, lack of family attachment.

Lonnie’s and Dorothy basic needs:

1. Affordable healthcare insurance (Medicaid/Medicare)
2. Financial Assistance

• Counseling

2. ROLE-BASED CASE MANAGEMENT

The primary role of the case manager is the advocacy. The advocacy means representing the client’s interests and includes the identification of the individual’s needs, gathering information and brokering.

BROKER

As a broker, the case manager will provide Lonnie with the information on how to apply for Medicaid. He might be eligible based on his and Dorothy’s income. Dorothy receives disability benefits. According to their income, Dorothy is eligible to receive Medicaid along with the disability benefits. While Lonnie at work, Dorothy stays home alone. Being alone is not the best option for her. The caseworker will connect Dorothy with local Home Care Agency. Dorothy might be eligible for a variety of programs. She can have personal care provider come to her home and helping her with the various errands like light housekeeping, shopping. Also, she will get a chance to communicate with the helper. Dorothy might be eligible for the Adult Day Care services as well. At the day center, she will get professional medical help as needed. Also, they serve breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Adult day centers include many activities like field trips to museums, shopping, library, even fishing, and bowling. They provide transportation to and from doctor’s appointments. Since Lonnie started to experience health issues, the case manager will link Lonnie with the local sliding scale clinic before determination of his medical benefits eligibility. The case manager will also help to apply for food stamps benefits. As a low-income family, Lonnie and Dorothy can apply with the Housing Department for financial assistance with their rent and utilities. Lonnie and Dorothy experience relationship problems that started in the past. They will need to be connected with the local Mental Health Services for assessment and counseling.

COST CONTAINMENT

The caseworker will have to define how much money the client needs and how much can the client receive based on the agency’s budget and to match the client needs with available resources.

PLANNER

As the planner, the caseworker will explain how the services provided and set long- and short-term goals. They will discuss the expectations and determine future outcomes. Then the case manager will begin implementing the plan.

COORDINATOR

As the coordinator, the caseworker will collaborate with other professionals and agencies to facilitate the services for the clients and ensure services integration. The case manager will monitor clients’ progress and oversee barriers to assistance if any.

RECORD-KEEPER

Client record is any information and documentation associated with the client’s case. The case manager must make sure that documentation is completed timely and in chronological order. Starting from assessment, that includes problems, needs, and desires, the documentation should consist of strategies such as such as treatments and interventions and goals with the specific outcomes based on the client’s needs and services they will receive. The case manager will monitor the client’s progress and record the observations as well.

COUNSELING

Case manager might offer to complete mental health test to Lonnie and Dorothy. Then she will refer them to the clinical social worker for the mental health assessment and counseling and monitor future progress.

CASE MANAGEMENT AND COUNSELING BENEFITS

The case manager will link Lonnie and Dorothy to the providers and resources based on their needs. Therefore, it will help them to achieve wellness and self-government.

Through mental health counseling, Lonnie and Dorothy will identify the cause of such a distant relationship they have. In the past, Lonnie used to lock Dorothy at home while he was at work because of the jealousy. Was there a real or delusional reason for Lonnie’s suspicion? The mental health counseling will help to reveal all those issues, and there is a possibility that their present situation is the result of the past. There also other questions like why they moved to that area and why there is no communication with their three grown children? Identifying all these issues will improve their quality of life. It might improve their relationship and interaction with their children.