John Ortega, a 38-year-old male, and his 35-year-old wife, Anna, presented to a Catholic Charities for assistance finding housing for Anna’s mother, Cindy. Cases :
The social worker spoke to John and Anna during the initial interview.
During the interview, the social worker discovered John and Anna have been married for twelve years and they have two children (a son, Mike, aged 6 and a daughter, Janis, age 8). They live at 100 East Windy Lane in Jackson, MO. The main concern for Mr. Ortega is finding suitable housing for Anna’s mother, Cindy (age 59) who was going to be released from a rehab facility after a fall. Numerous times during the interview, Mr. Ortega tapped his foot, had his arms crossed, and mumbled under his breath. He stated three times that his mother-in-law was not going to move into their family home. Anna began to cry and John left the room. After waiting five minutes she decided to make another appointment to continue the assessment process.
Anna Ortega and her twin sister, Maria Smith, were present for the second interview. They told the social worker their parents divorced when they were 8 years old and their older brother, Robert (who was 10 at the time) went to live with their father, Sam, in New Mexico. Maria stated she had a relationship with Sam but Anna did not. Sam has been married four times to women Anna and Maria did not know. They did not feel he was a viable placement for their mother.
Anna and Maria expressed frustration with their mother because she did not want to move into a supported living apartment. Maria was tearful when she said that her wife, Janet, was a law enforcement officer who experienced an assault at work four months ago. Janet had been unable to work since the assault happened and Maria did not know what they were going to do financially.
Halfway through the second interview, Maria received a phone call and left the room. At that time, Anna, reported she had additional information but she didn’t want to share it with her sister. Anna said she and her sister were generally very close and supportive of each other but Maria can be “judgmental” of John.
Anna broke down crying. She said her husband had worked as a machinist for five years. Anna said she told her family that he was laid off two months ago but he had actually been fired for coming to work intoxicated. Anna stated her husband said she was “nagging” him about his drinking. She stated two weeks ago she threatened to leave John and he finally agreed to attend alcohol treatment but he started working a construction job which is making more money and is concerned he will lose his job if he has to do inpatient. Anna spoke highly of her children and expressed they do very well in school. Anna also stated she is working full-time as an RN and she does not feel she can bring her mother home to the current environment.
Maria returned to the interview with red, swollen eyes. She apologized to the social worker and explained that Janet became very upset when a city worker came to inspect a waterline outside their apartment. Maria stated Janet has become frightened anytime someone comes near their apartment. She said Janet has been unable to leave the house since the assault. Maria informed the social worker that she is a nurse case-manager and able to work from home which has been helpful but she also feels it enables Janet because Maria is always home. Maria began to cry again and Anna held her hand and told her it was going to be okay.
Due to the interruptions during the interviews, the social worker decided to schedule a third assessment with Cindy Smith at the rehab facility. Cindy Smith was engaged and talkative during the assessment and frequently laughed and made jokes. She apologized to the social worker for “family drama”. Cindy’s leg was in a full cast and she is currently using a wheelchair for mobility.
Cindy was living in a rented, older two-story farmhouse when she fell down the stairs and suffered a complex break of her leg. Cindy retired from the state when she was 54 and commented how much she enjoyed her life until the fall. She acknowledged the farmhouse was not a sustainable living arrangement after the break and her landlord did not keep up with repairs. Her doctor feels she will be ready to leave the rehab facility in two weeks.
During the interview, residents and staff members stopped to say hello to Cindy. She chatted with people easily. Cindy expressed concerns with her daughters’ current situations and added any place she lived would need to allow her grandchildren to spend the night as she was very close to them. She talked about helping them with their homework and going to all their games and outside activities. She also stated that if she went to a supported living apartment, it would need to allow her daughters to stay short term if something happened to their current relationships. At this point in the interview, Cindy’s demeanor changed and she began to cry.
Cindy stated she loved her daughters and in-laws very much and they were always a close family even though John was somewhat standoffish and sometimes acted “better than them”. She said John’s family cut-off contact with him after the wedding because they were wealthy and didn’t want him to get married to Anna; John recently found out his father passed away and no one told him. Cindy said John was generally a hard-worker and a good father but when he found out his father passed away, he began to drink and it got out of hand. Cindy asked if there was any kind of program that could help John so he could keep his job but still get the services he needs.
Cindy said she was also very worried about her daughter-in-law, Janet. She stated Janet and Maria were the same age, knew each other since grade school and began dating in high school. Cindy remarked that Janet was emotionally strong and loved being in law enforcement. Cindy said she had never seen Janet in this condition and while Janet and Maria’s relationship was strong with good communication, she didn’t know if it could withstand the financial and emotional impact this might cause. Cindy smiled gently and said that even though both of her daughters are wonderful and great nurses, Maria didn’t have the most patience for understanding mental health and generally thinks people should “toughen up”. Cindy asked if there were any programs that would assist John and Anna’s family and/or Maria and Janet.
At the end of the interview, Maria and Janet arrived for a visit. Cindy smiled and appeared happy to see them. She stated she was surprised to see Janet but was excited she came out.
The social worker observed that Janet was jumpy and continued to look around at the doors and fidget with her hands. Maria asked Janet if she could talk to the social worker about what has been happening because they were overwhelmed and Janet agreed.
Maria stated this was the first time that Janet had been able to leave the home since the assault. She said they had an appointment with human resources at the police department. Janet stated the department had been very helpful and supportive but they were looking at long-term disability. Janet said she was trying to get better but she didn’t know if she would ever be able to be a police officer again. They were concerned about their financial situation as they just bought a home. Janet stated she wanted to try counseling but on the day of the appointment, she just sat in her car in the driveway. Maria said she was going to drive her to the appointment that day but was called into a meeting. Maria stated transportation was an issue because she wasn’t allowed to leave during her shift. Maria said she heard a lot about PTSD but she didn’t know if that what Maria was experiencing. Maria and Janet asked if there were any services or referrals that the agency could provide them.
The social worker went back to the office and staffed with her supervisor. A plan was developed to engaged the families and offer services.
Family Demographics:
John and Anna Ortega
Janis and Mike
Address: 100 East Windy Lane Jackson, MO
Cindy Smith
Address:
C/O SEMO Manor
902 E Kingshighway
Cape Girardeau, MO
Maria and Janet Smith
Address: 25 Jefferson Street
Jackson, MO
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