Practice from experience

Practice from experience

Practice from experience

The agency, where I work as an intern, is a profit corporation that specializes in affordable housing for elderly and families. They have Resident Social Service Coordinators (RSSC) who are liaisons between management and the residents. They meet and help needs of the residents to ensure that they live in a quality environment. As a RSSC, I assist residents in accessing services and resolving personal and tenancy issues. I develop and foster self sufficiency when working with residents. As a RSSC, I collaborate with property management to create a safe environment.

Mrs. Smith is a 76 year old white female of Italian decent who resides in low-income housing. Mrs. Smith has lived on the property for five years. She was married for 50 years. She is a widow, and she is grieving the loss of her husband since two years. Mrs. Smith is dealing with depression and isolation. She is under weight and frail. Mrs. Smith has been diagnosed with cataract and has canceled numerous appointments because she did not have anyone to go with her. In addition, she has been diagnosed with COPD, Asthma and emphysema. She smokes heavily, and she has a problem with alcohol. Alcohol has a large impact on her health and well-being.

Mrs. Smith was first assigned as a short-term client. My first approach was to use Brief theory for intervention. The main focus was to address her drinking and knocking on other tenants doors in my next few sessions with Mrs. Smith. She persistently denied having a problem with alcohol and would refuse to discuss it.

Depression afflicts adults of all ages, but the dominant discourse is that the elderly are uniquely vulnerable to its debilitating effects. Physical and cognitive deterioration combined with isolation and other circumstances put the elderly at ...