www.MatrixForMe.

com

Charlene filled out the we missed you door hanger and as she turned to leave, met the members son. He stopped by, with his dad, to check on his mom. The two said they could no longer endure the struggle of living with someone with chronic pain, alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorder. So, they stopped by intermittently to check on her. The son let Charlene into the house. She found the 62-year-old member lethargic, profoundly weak and with slurred speech. She was underweight with signs of dehydration and hypoxia (insufficient oxygen in the blood). Charlene quickly realized the urgency of the situation and called the members psychiatrist, pain management doctor and social worker. When the members oxygen saturation level would not rise above 85 percent with deep breathing (95+ percent is considered normal), Charlene knew the member needed helpfast. The members family agreed and the woman was ultimately admitted to the hospital for further evaluation. Charlene notified Adult Protective Services and submitted a case management referral with concerns for overmedication, poor nutrition and the members apparent inability to manage at home. That night, the husband called Charlene to provide an update on the members condition and thanked her for her dedicated service.