Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of three articles about local services for elderly or disabled adults. The programs are supervised and supported by the Adult Protective Services program of the Rowan County Department of Social Services.
Ever wonder how your loved one is being treated in a rest home? Or how your elderly or disabled neighbor or friend makes do living alone?
Two social workers in the Adult Protective Services programs offered through the Rowan County Department of Social Services are trying to protect people who find themselves in either circumstance.
Lisa Holshouser is the adult home specialist who monitors all of the adult care homes — most people call them rest homes — in Rowan County. Gina Overcash works as the in-home aide and guardianship social worker.
Their jobs are different, but Holshouser and Overcash face the same challenges in making sure Rowan County elderly and disabled adults are living quality lives.
They say they don’t work long hours, but their days are jampacked with doing reviews, assessments, home and facility visits, as well as making lots of phone calls with hopes of connecting with local agencies that can assist their clients.
The Department of Social Services has seen cutbacks in federal funds for those programs, preventing them from hiring more workers or giving clients more money to assist with their needs.
At the same time, the needs and cost of living for the 200 clients in the Adult Protective Services program have soared.
“The Social Services Block Grant we receive is federal money that has been the same amount for five years,” said Carol Addington, the Department of Social Services’ supervisor of adult services. “The grant is worth $223,000, but we have to share that money among six other Social Services divisions.”
That leaves both women with heavy caseloads, but they say they look at it as a challenge.
“There is a need for an adult home specialist, and whether I am doing this alone or with help, it has to be done,” Holshouser said. “I love what I do, and I really can’t see myself doing anything else.”
Adult home specialist
Holshouser has been Social Services’ only adult home care Specialist for more than four years. She’s responsible for licensing and monitoring all 17 rest homes in Rowan County.
She tries to check each facility every other month, unless she has concerns that require more frequent visits.
On her visits, Holshouser looks at a variety of issues such as staff qualifications and training, safety, medications, food service, personal care, health care and resident rights.
She also responds to complaints about rest homes.
“As an adult home specialist, my job requires that I make sure the facility administrators, aides and workers follow the rules and meet the regulations,” Holshouser said. “It’s my job to make sure that the administration of each facility knows and understands the importance of providing the clients a safe environment to live in and teaching their workers to do the same thing.”
On average, Holshouser receives two to three complaints each month, ranging from questions about food and medicine to health and personal care.
But in the past six months, Lisa said two-thirds of the complaints have come from employees of the rest homes.
“Lately, I’ve been having to deal with employees complaining about the medication aides not giving the clients their medicines correctly and complaints about the cooks not preparing the proper diets for the clients,” she said. “For example, a client who is a diabetic can not have any sweets in their diets.” Same restrictions for resident on low-salt or fluid diets.
“It’s very important that the aides fix these problems,” she said.
Gathering documentation and interviews, investigating a complaint generally takes 30 days. If Holshouser finds a complaint is valid, the facility will receive a written report of the investigation and results.
At that point, facility officials must state in writing how they plan to correct the problem. If the problem remains unresolved, Holshouser may take further action.
“I’m like a detective who tries to find out what goes on inside these places,” she said. “I have to check all complaints for the sake of the clients ...”
But Holshouser said she is not “the fixer;” that’s the administrator’s job.
Last week, Holshouser visited Heritage Plantation, at 2809 Old Concord Road, one of the 17 adult care homes.
She consulted with Myrtle Peacock, Heritage Plantation’s manager, about a minor issue she found on her last visit. She wanted the rest home to show a list of the aides working each shift.
“This is a rule that is required among all adult care homes,” Lisa said. “It’s not a big deal, but it is important for the visitors to know who is available during their time here.”
She said Peacock does a great job.
“I like working with Lisa,” Peacock said. “... She does a good job making sure I know and understand what I need to do to keep Heritage Plantation within the rules and regulations.”
Holshouser said every adult care home in the county tries to do its best work.
“The best facilities are going to miss something, but I will say that there isn’t a facility in Rowan County who doesn’t try to do their best,” Holshouser said. “I don’t go into the facilities pointing fingers. I play the regulatory role and again, make sure that the residents are safe and getting the proper care ...”
In-home aide
Overcash has been Social Services’ only in-home aide and guardianship social worker for 10 years and says she has the best job in the Adult Services Unit.
“My job is challenging, but the best part about it is that I get to go out into the community and meet great people.” she said.
In one role, Overcash is the legal guardian of 20 clients, authorized by the clerk of Superior Court to act as substitute decision-maker for an incompetent adult.
As the in-home aide, Overcash monitors people who live alone but don’t have much family support and need some assistance.
Currently, she assists 33 independent-living clients. She emphasizes that she doesn’t replace relatives’ responsibilities for helping those people. She checks on each person at least once a quarter and also writes an annual assessment.
For that report, she assesses their physical, mental and financial status and assures that they are living in a safe environment.
Depending on the individual’s level of need, Overcash provides two different services.
A level I client has good mental health but needs help with basic home management, such as light housekeeping, cooking, shopping and bill paying.
A level II client, however, suffer from a severe mental impairment and needs assistance with basic personal care.
Though she tries to protect her clients from abuse, she finds their biggest problem is loneliness.
“Many of my clients are basically homebound because of their physical handicaps, doctors orders or whatever, and it makes it hard for them to meet people,” she said. “I often ask them, ‘Has anyone come to see you lately?’ and often times they will tell me ‘no.’
“So I may suggest they going to a place like the Abundant Living Adult Day Care, where they can interact with people everyday.”
Last week, Overcash visited two of her in-home clients –– Frankie John Waller, a Level I client, who lives in Salisbury, and Julie Earnhardt, a Level II client, who lives in Gold Hill.
Waller is a 52-year-old paraplegic who lives alone.
With Overcash’s help, an aide through Primary Health Concepts visits Waller twice a a week, for two hours each time, to help Waller with housekeeping, shopping and personal care.
“I absolutely think that this is a great program, and I don’t know where I would be without it,” Waller said. “I love to see Gina come in here. She’s helped me get a lot of needed things, and I do appreciate her.”
A motorcycle accident left Waller paralyzed from the waist down in 1986.
Every now and then, his family would visit and help, but many things he had to learn to do for himself.
“I had always been an independent person before the accident,” he said.
“But now I depend on Social Services, and my family sometimes, and to a point that bothers me.”
Waller mentioned how a few of his friends treat him differently now, because he is a paraplegic.
“My friends tell me that I am not the same person. So they don’t come around, and that hurts,” Waller said. “So to keep myself busy I read lots of novels, sometimes I can read a novel in one week, and I play with my dog ‘Baby.’ ”
During her visit, Overcash asked him questions about his health, the help he was getting from the Primary Health Concepts aide and other concerns.
Earnhardt is a Level II client who also lives alone, but also has an in-home aide from Pathways Home Care. The aide comes once a week for four hours to do basic health care needs and assist with daily activities.
The aide will help Julie bathe, prepare meals, doing the laundry and clean the house.
Earnhardt, 79, has a long list of health conditions, includes arthritis, diabetes, heart and and thyroid problems. She also suffers from dementia.
She is currently taking 14 different medications and recently fell off a ladder and broke her foot and hip while trying to put food in her bird feeder.
“I am very appreciative of what Gina does for me,” Earnhardt said. “She acts as if she cares about me, where as other social workers acted as if they didn’t.
“... You know it’s bad to have worked all your life, then get older and have to beg for help … but thanks to Gina’s caring services, she doesn’t make it seem all that bad.”
Earnhardt also credits Overcash with keeping her out of a nursing or rest home. She loves her independence.
“My husband died five years ago, but I can still take care of a few things around the house,” Earnhardt said.
“Before I had children, I wasn’t afraid of dying. But when I had children, I asked God to let me live long enough for them to get to an age where they can take care of themselves, and I have.”
She spoke lovingly about her 5-year-old grandson, and he’s her inspiration for living longer.
“He told me that I was the best grandma he’s ever had … so I think I will try to stick around a little longer just for him.”
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