Care Manager - OPTIONS

The Care Manager is responsible for the assessment, care planning and ongoing maintenance of care management services for older adults in need of home and community-based care in Montgomery County. This position focuses on directly assisting individuals in the OPTIONS Program and those who receive home delivered meals. The care manager will work collaboratively, with formal and informal supports, to meet the needs of each individual consumer served.

The OPTIONS Program coordinates home and community-based services to older adults assessed and determined to meet criteria for services. Some of these services include personal care, home support, adult day services and home delivered meals. Services, with the exception of home delivered meals, are provided to consumers based on an income based sliding fee scale.

The Care Manager develops a plan of care to address any needs, via an assessment completed at the consumer's place of residence. The care manager then initiates services to address the identified needs. Once a consumer is established in the program, quarterly contacts via phone and in-person are completed for on-going support and service management. Annual reassessments determine continued need for service.

Thorough documentation reflecting all care management and case activity must be maintained daily in an electronic database. Compliance standards are created and monitored by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging in an ongoing manner.

• Meets with referred consumers and their supports in order to establish their baseline need for services.
• Develops an individual service plan and arranges for the provision of home and community-based services.

• Manages the implementation of home and community-based services through contracted providers.

• Monitors and reassesses consumers to determine their ongoing need for services and appropriate level of care.
• Completes all required forms and documentation in a timely manner, based on state and local agency guidelines.
• Attends trainings and maintains a working knowledge of all available programs and services for which consumers may be eligible.
• Performs other duties, as required, to maintain office functioning. These may include all other direct service roles. When other direct service roles are performed, standards and guidelines for these positions are met.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Six months of experience as a County Caseworker 1; or Successful completion of the County Social work Intern Program; or A bachelor's degree with a social welfare major; or A bachelor's degree which includes or is supplemented by successful completion of 12 college credits in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, or other related social sciences and one year of professional social casework experience in a public or private social services agency.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Ability to sit, stand and walk for moderate periods of time. Ability to work in all weather conditions. Occasionally may be required to do Medium Level and/or Heavy Level physical work that would include reaching, walking, pushing, pulling and lifting.

They must be able to drive to various appointments throughout Montgomery County on a regular basis. They must be able to carry a laptop to meet with consumers in order to assess their needs.

They must be able to sit for extended periods of time in order to complete extensive case record documentation. Case documentation is done via a computer and proprietary software.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit; and talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands or arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision and depth perception.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.