Elder Care Consultants & Social Workers
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Questions
- Social Worker to advise on moving parents to the Bay Area
- Need someone to advise us about options for elderly parents
Social Worker to advise on moving parents to the Bay Area
April 2010
Are there any current recommendations from BPN members regarding using a good social worker who would give advice about aged parents being moved from the east coast to here? The situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past few months and mom and dad need to be moved to some sort of care facility in the bay area. We are specifically looking at places in the east bay. Any leads will be appreciated. Worried
Hello, We spoke with Jane Brush, LCSW who is one of a few geriatric social workers who formed Senior Alternatives. She was very helpful (we are in the final stages of moving my mother to SF from London) and I think they are quite used and adept to helping people think through long-distance parental moves. Here's the link http://bayareaseniorcare.com/ Kate
Need someone to advise us about options for elderly parents
July 2008
Seeking recommendations for someone to advise us regarding care, housing options, and financial matters for our elderly parents, including parents with memory loss. Thank you!
We met with Harriette Grooh, PhD who has run her own company HGA Personal Care Consultants for about 25 years. She has nurses, social workers and therapists on staff 24/7. She does no advertising, gets clients through referrals. Her offices are in Marin and SF. Her phone number is 415-924-8311. also seeking elder care
You don't mention whether you are UC faculty, staff, or student but if you are, University Health Services at Tang Center has excellent elder care consulting. My husband and I have both used their referrals, info sessions and individual counseling in caring for our respective parents. They've helped us through parental surgeries and post-surgery care, housing changes, mental health needs, etc. We highly recommend them. Try this URL to start: http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/care/eldercare/index.shtml Best of luck. Dutiful Daughter
I have two resources for you: Mona Lalchandani, Exceptional Senior Placement, 510-910-0344, roshne [at] aol.com You will be very happy to talk with Mona, who is capable and compassionate. Moreover, Mona's services are free to you - paid by the facilities. she is not biased towards any facility bc all of them pay her. Janet Brush, Senior Alternatives, 510-407-0070, janetbrush [at] mindspring.com Janet provides many senior services - fiduciary, care - call both people to see the options.
Jessica B.
Dear Robin - I would highly recommend Joanna Smith, LCSW from Healthcare Liaison. She's been practicing private health care advocacy for many years and has a 20+year social work career. She's kind, trustworthy and very knowledgeable. You can check out her website at www.healthcareliaison.com or contact her by phone at 510.704.8476. I know how difficult these times can be and commend you on being proactive. Good luck to you. Dana
My family and I have been using Joanna Smith from Health Care Liaison to help with legal, housing, and insurance issues related to my father's dementia. She has been an incredible help in prioritizing issues, reviewing complicated long term care contracts and facilitating family meetings where we've had to tackle tough issues. Her services may not seem inexpensive at first($150/hr) but they are well worth it. My belief is that rather than navigate complex waters alone, hire an expert who can cut to the chase. It saves you time and frustration in the end. Joanna is an extremely competent and compassionate health advocate. She's in Berkeley near the Claremont but often can come to you too. Jennifer
If you need legal help with estate planning as part of planning for your parents, I recommend Kathryn Korn in the Orinda area. She also referred me to someone who was very good at helping locate an appropriate board-and-care home for my mother--I don't recall the name of that person, but she used to work as a nurse. Been There and Still There
I highly, highly recommend that you contact the Suse Moyal Center for Older Adult Services in Albany. They do exactly what you're looking for--work with families to determine the best care plan for aging parents, including looking at housing, financial, legal, and emotional issues. Their services also encompass helping family members like you manage the the whole complex process--they'll help you monitor the care and adjust plans as needs change. The staff can really be your parents' advocate in making sure they age with dignity while receiving the best possible care. Full disclosure: the center is a department of the nonprofit agency that I work for, JFCS/East Bay. If you're interested, call (510) 558-7800, ext. 716 and ask for Lisa Yordy. Or check out our website at www.jfcs-eastbay.org. Though ''Jewish'' is in the agency's name, we're nonsectarian and offer services to people from all backgrounds. Best, Holly
Hello - you do not necessarily need to pay someone for assistance if looking for housing in SF. There is free housing counselor services funded by the City available every day in person and virtually to help with rental applications, credit repair, compiling documents, etc. You can contact them here: housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors
Nearly all affordable housing in San Francisco is placed through DAHLIA (SF Housing Portal), which can be accessed at housing.sfgov.org. The application to be placed in a lottery takes less than 5 minutes and can be done on a smart phone. There are lotteries every week, some of which are for senior housing (often defined at 62+). A complete application is required once contacted by a leasing agent from a given building when they come to their place in the lottery. Listing a housing counselor as a second contact on one's DAHLIA application will mean the counselor will also be contacted at that time to help with this next step in the process.
Good luck!
That's really kind of you to offer to help guide a family friend to a more stable retirement.The tricky thing with housing is it's through a county system, so typically people stay in their home counties or move to lower income counties. If he does not have disability through the state, I wonder what his insurance provider is. Kaiser offers medical social workers which can help with the impending homelessness issue. If he gets care from a federally qualified health center, then they too have medical social workers. But it is a long and convoluted process. Perhaps... and this is a big perhaps... reach out to SF State School of Social Work or UC Berkeley and see if they have a job board for this specific request?