Editor's note (Summer 2007): Since this article first appeared in Bay Area Summit's Fall 2004 issue, the CHRC's Senior Care Program was canceled due to a funding shortage. CHRC social worker Scott Plymale is available to advise seniors on a range of issues, such as housing and transportation. Beth MacLeod's private practice can be reached at 415-441-4782.

CPMC Program Helps Seniors and Their Families
Helen, a 77-year-old widow, lives alone in San Francisco's Richmond District. Her three adult children, who live in New York and Southern California, are increasingly concerned about their mother's social isolation and frail health. But the children are only able to visit Helen a few times each year, as they are busy with work and their own families.

"What the children need is professional help, someone who can step in and develop a care plan that increases the safety and well-being of their mother," says Beth MacLeod, program director of the Community Health Resource Center's new Senior Care Program. "This type of situation is becoming more common because families are often scattered and not in a position to provide care for elderly parents."

As head of the Senior Care Program, MacLeod, a social worker and geriatric specialist, is the contact person for families and individuals seeking help with aging issues. MacLeod spends much of her time consulting with older adults and family members, assessing seniors' health and living situations, and coordinating care for seniors with physicians, family caregivers and other care providers. The program charges a fee for these services.

Once she is involved with a new client, MacLeod meets with the senior, often at his or her home, to evaluate the person's physical and mental health, as well as other issues like the functionality and safety of the home. MacLeod also speaks with the senior's doctor about medications, risk factors, nutrition and other health issues. She then consults with adult children or other family members to develop a care plan.

"This plan might involve hiring professional caregivers, moving an elderly parent to a new living situation or enrolling them in an adult day care program," explains MacLeod. In many cases, the care plan includes reassessments and home visits to monitor the senior's health over time, as well as a recommendation that family members join support groups. "One of the goals is to bring peace of mind and reduce the sense of guilt that family members often feel," she says.

The Community Health Resource Center (CHRC), which has existed since the early 1980s and is open to the public, is located at 2100 Webster Street in San Francisco. The center has long provided counseling and health education services for people of all ages, including classes, lectures and health screenings. But senior care consultation and coordination services have only been available since the Senior Care Program opened in 2003.

A grant from the Women's Board of the California Pacific Medical Center Foundation helped make the Senior Care Program possible. The CHRC is affiliated with the California Pacific Medical Center.

Among the program's strengths, says MacLeod, is the fact that many of the older adults she sees have physicians with offices in 2100 Webster and other nearby California Pacific Medical Center buildings. "Our program is able to offer an interdisciplinary team approach to health care because we have relationships with both the client and the doctor," she says.

"We're in a position to provide useful information to both the patient and the doctor about care plans. This can be a big help, for example, in cases where patients don't fully understand their treatment plan or they are reluctant to ask their doctors a question," she adds.

For information about the Senior Care Program and the Community Health Resource Center, see www.cpmc.org/chrc or call (415) 923-3155.

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