Telecare Interview
Part 1- Introduction: For this designated assignment, I had the opportunity to interview an agency called Telecare. Telecare is a health service that provides specifically for people who are seriously mentally ill. To learn more about Telecare, you may check out the website at www.telecarecorp.com. This service is located at 6160 Mission Gorge San Diego, California 92120. If you choose to contact Telecare by phone, the number for the corporate office is 510-337-7969. On the other hand, to contact the social worker that I interviewed, Michelle Cadapan, would be 619-481-5200. For as long as Telecare has been in existence, 48 years, their mission statement lives to say, “Provide excellent services and system of care for people with serious and mental illness. We exist to help people realize their full potential.” Before given the chance to interview this agency, I did not know Telecare existed. Interviewing Ms. Cadapan, a social worker at Telecare, was very informative because she educated me about how they run their agency and what they are all about. After learning so much about Telecare, I can now inform others around me about how great the Telecare agency is and spread the word.
Part 2 - Description: Telecare believes that people with a serious mental illness still have potential to rehabilitating. Majority of the clients that social workers at Telecare assist are older adults with the mental illness. The role of Telecare, as far as dealing with families, is to contact family members of the client to incorporate them in decision making regarding their treatment. Treatments involves many things such as housing options, hospitalizations, and conservatorship. Ms. Cadapan defines conservatorship as when a client’s rights are taken away from them due to not being able to make appropriate decisions independently. Telecare helps families by working with patients with the mental illness at their own home. Social workers from this agency help clients at their own home because they believe results are achieved better. Results are achieved better because that client has more of a individuality and remains focus. Social workers from this agency also, if needed, make sure their clients take the correct medication at the right time. Unfortunately, Telecare does not have any official outcomes yet. I was informed by Ms. Cadapan that the program was still fairly new, so no outcomes have been sent out to inform the public. As far as a success story, Ms. Cadapan shared with me her first day of work at Telecare. Ms. Cadapan stated that her first client was located in the Alpine Special Treatment Center, a locked placement for people with mental illnesses. That specific client was discharged into the board and care, basically a transition home. Ms. Cadapan stated her client began working more on being independent by learning how to budget money and prepare food, as well as take care of her own hygiene. Before Ms. Cadapan could believe it, her client was out living on her own without any support. Ms. Cadapan’s success story was incredible to hear, and truly does live up to Telecare’s mission statement. With that being said, about 15% of people in the program are living independently either with their families or in their own home. To work with Telecare, people would have to be referred by the county case management services as well as other community providers. Another way would an individual could work with the program is to self refer themselves. To self refer, that individual would have to call the office and inform the receptionist that they are interested in the service. As soon as this call is made, a case manager will go out and assess the client’s needs and make sure they fit the programs requirements. If they fit the criteria, then they are enrolled. Telecare really does live up to their mission statement, and provides quality help that each person is able to rehabilitate to their full potential.
Part 3 -
