Connie is a 67 year old woman living at Alpha Square. She has been diagnosed with PTSD and severe depression. In initial meetings with this client, she would ramble on and change subjects rapidly; she would begin crying uncontrollably, then start laughing. As she began to gain trust with the Geriatric Clinician, she shared her childhood story of physical, sexual and verbal abuse. Her history traumatized her and caused her to be unable to think clearly. She felt that the chemicals in her brain were misfiring and her thoughts would take over—she always felt like her life was out of control. NHA’s Geriatric Clinician provided mental health supportive counseling and encouraged her to enter an Inpatient Psych Treatment Program. Connie voluntarily entered an Inpatient Psych Treatment facility, with the encouragement and support of the Geriatric Clinician. For 3 weeks she received ongoing therapy and psych medications for treatment of her symptoms. Connie is now stable and is being seen regularly by a mobile physician through a medical clinic and a psychologist who comes to her home to see her on a regular basis. These services were put in place by the Geriatric Clinician with the cooperation of the client. Since being discharged from inpatient care, the client continues to utilize the Geriatric Services that Neighborhood House Association offers at Alpha Square for on-going support to remain in permanent housing designated for the formerly homeless.
Name of client changed to protect client identity