Introduction
The
Human Services Model works at both the micro and the macro levels in the helping professions. With the emphasis on humanitarian values (Harris et al., 2004), it is also highly qualified to serve culturally
diverse populations, including the older American. The generalist human services professional has many roles which may provide
help and services to the older members of our society.
For the purposes of this paper, case management will be the term used that sums
up the many roles of the human services worker. Since the population chosen for this paper are older adults, those aged 65
plus, the case management will be tuned to their needs. Further qualifying the
population, this paper will content itself on a relatively unstudied group: the cognitively well elderly and their needs.
This is in contrast to many other studies which view the older adult as a needy recipient of "being done for" and viewing
the elderly as relatively incapable of taking care of themselves. This paper will speak to empowerment of this sub group of
older Americans.
Moore (1992) cautions that the term case management is currently being used
inappropriately by many service
work professionals as a catch-all phrase to make
up for the very
fragmented services delivery
systems found today. He contends
that
a real case management
practice would include an infrastructure
and organization that
is client centered rather than system centered.
Because of the past, he suggests that too
many families “have been
spoiled” by the
system instead of empowered by it. This concept will
run as a thread through
this paper, that helping individuals and
families learn to do for
themsleves is of greater benefit than doing for
them.