Aging Assessor II - Care Management - County of Berks

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POSITION SUMMARY

This position works as a care manager of services and supports for qualified older adults participating in the OPTIONS and Caregiver Support Programs.  The goal of the care manager is to assist older adults and their caregivers in maintaining independence at the highest level of functioning in the community and help delay the need for more costly care/services.  The care manager in this position is expected to maintain the highest level of professional ethics, continually seeking opportunities for increased knowledge, growth and development. 

An employee in this job assesses needs and manages social services for older adults and their families to improve their quality of life. Work involves evaluating the social contacts and supports, daily living activities, cognitive functioning, physical health, and economic and other resources of older adults to develop plans for their care. Work includes coordinating plans with other agencies to refer clients for additional services and assisting older adults in utilizing available services to meet their needs. Work may also include conducting more thorough assessments of an individual’s medical, social, and psychological well-being, as well as their living situation, including the physical condition of their housing unit, to ensure they receive the best care. Work is performed independently and reviewed by a supervisor through individual and group conferences and an evaluation of case records and reports.

This position is responsible for assessing individual needs, developing care plans to meet those needs, and assisting in linking older adults to the necessary community resources.  It is necessary to ensure all assessments are comprehensive and all necessary paperwork is submitted to ensure proper processing. 

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Essential Functions

• The care manager is required to maintain a caseload, meet required time-frames for visitation and assessments and have a working knowledge of programmatic guidelines.   
• Serve as a liaison to other social service agencies, hospitals, clinics, community resources and providers to assist older adults in utilizing resources to meet their needs. 
• Input data timely and accurately, including case documentation and the completion of assessment tools, into the designated statewide database.
• Ensure follow-up with referral sources, request paperwork as needed to ensure full completion of the assessment process. 
• Serves as a mentor to new unit workers.
• Attend staff, team and in-service meetings monthly and other trainings or meetings as required. 
• Participate in ongoing problem solving, program evaluation, and development with team and all staff.
• Represent agency and program policies, procedures and objectives to applicants, referral sources, providers, and the public.
• Obtain and maintain PA Assessor Certification and Protective Services Certification.
• Perform on-call, after hours duties as assigned.
• Adhere to all policies, laws, regulations and codes of ethics and confidentiality as outlined by federal and state laws as well as agency policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM EDUCATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• One year experience in public or private social work and a Bachelor’s degree which includes or is supplemented by 12 semester hours credit in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, or other related social sciences; or a bachelor’s degree with a social welfare major; or any equivalent combination of experience and training including successful completion of 12 semester hours credits in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, or other related social science, OR;
• Two years of case work experience including one year of experience performing assessments of client’s functional ability to determine the need for institutional or community-based services and a Bachelor’s degree which includes or is supplemented by 12 semester hours credit in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, or other related social science, OR;
• One year assessment experience and a Bachelor’s degree with social welfare major, OR;
• Any equivalent combination of experience or training including completion of 12 semester credit hours of college level courses in sociology, social welfare, psychology, gerontology, or other related social sciences.  One year experience in the AAA system may be substituted for one-year assessment experience.

Related advanced education may be substituted for a segment of the experience requirement and related experience may be substituted for required education except for the required 12 semester credit hours in the above majors. 

MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to work with individuals with cognitive or mental deficits that may be related to the aging process, mental health, or developmental disabilities.    
• Ability to quickly acquire necessary knowledge and manage a high volume of clientele and documentation with attention to productivity.
• Ability to manage a variety of task simultaneously including the completion of multiple assessments on a daily basis to meet required timelines.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to adapt to situations which includes responding to high-risk situations.
• Skill in prioritizing workflow and attention to detail.
• Skill in advocating for the rights of seniors along with a high standard of professional ethics.
• Desire to work with seniors and obtain additional education/training.
• Possess advocacy skills and a sense of professional ethics.
• High level of adaptability which includes being flexible and responding to high-risk situations.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Must have a valid PA driver’s license, a good driving record, a car available for daily use that is in good working condition and fully insured.
• Pre-employment physical – new employee.
• Drug testing – new employee.
• Criminal history clearance – new employee.
• Computer utilization skills and ability to work effectively in “Windows” environment, agency database and state assessment tools.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Work involves walking, talking, hearing, using hands to handle, feel objects, tools, or controls, and reaching with hands and arms. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds a distance of fifteen (15) feet or less.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Normal office environment.  This position requires individuals to be office based and have the ability to work remotely while performing Care management functions. While performing care management functions, workers must have access to transportation, be able to make home visits (including areas where public transportation may not be available) and attend required meetings and trainings.  Evenings and weekends are occasionally required for on-call work.

This position description serves as a guideline for communicating the essential functions and other information about the position to the applicant/employee. It is not intended to create a binding employment contract nor cover every detail of the position and may be changed where appropriate.