Transcript Case Management Skills for Families

Families living with brain injury
Ronald C. Savage, Ed.D.
How can we better support our families?
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Do we become more empathetic
Do we listen harder
Do we work harder, longer
Do we involve them in everything
Do we protect them and solve
problems for them
? What have we learned before…..
Early Stages of Adjusting to a Disability
Lessons from special needs literature
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Feeling of life being irrevocably changed after
diagnosis
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Differences in emotional responses between spouses
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Period of mourning death of dreams for child
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Respect hope and don’t mistake it for denial
Lash, 2007
Reasons parents distrust professionals from
MR/DD literature…
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Professionals encourage maximizing young adult’s
independence but do not understand cost to family in time
and energy
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Tell parents they either do too much or too little
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Parents worn down dealing with system and want to avoid
further interactions
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Hard for parents to believe professionals are listening to
them.
Stineman, Morningstar, Bishop, and Turnbull, 1993.
5 ways to support families…
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Family-centered care principles
Understanding coping strategies
Respecting family functioning
Developing communication skills
Creating education and training opps
1. Family-centered care
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Adopting new attitude and giving up old
beliefs
Guiding principles
Recognizing family members’ unique
expertise and knowledge
2. Family coping styles
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Psychological coper
Physical coper
Spiritual coper
Cognitive coper
Support system coper
DePompei, 2008
3. Respecting family functioning
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Labeling: dysfunctional or in denial
versus seeing changeable behaviors
Recognizing the recovery roller coaster
Understanding cultural components
Brain Development Rollercoaster
World equals 100 people
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57 Asians 21 Europeans 8 Africans
14 North/South Americans
70 of 100 people of color
70 of 100 would not be Christian
45% of world’s wealth held by 6 people – all US citz
70 unable to read
80 would live in sub-standard housing
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would have a college education
4. Developing family communication
skills
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Content of communication
Style of communication
Environment for communication
Encouraging family communication
Respect and dignity
Savage 2000
5. Family education & training
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Family as the ultimate Case Manager
Transfer of knowledge and skills
Lash 2009
Case Management Skills
for Families
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Assessment
Information gathering
Referral
Service coordination
Advocacy
Evaluation
Lash 2009
Case Management Skill #1
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Assessment
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How has the brain
injury affected my
child?
Case Management Skill #2
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Information
gathering
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What do I need to
know?
Case Management Skill # 3
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Referral
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When do I need to
get a specialist
involved?
Case Management Skill # 4
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Service
Coordination
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How do I pull this all
together?
Case Management Skill #5
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Advocacy
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How can I help
others understand
what my child
needs?
Case Management Skill #6
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Evaluation
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How do I know if this
is working?
Conclusion
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Brain injury is contagious…it effects the
entire family
Recovery is a roller coaster
Families + professionals = success
Prevention is the only cure