It was a Friday afternoon when the paperwork came over regarding a young man with a host of problems. He needed linkage to everything under the sun. He was only 18 years old and dealing with the first signs of schizophrenia. Highlighted on the application for case management services was his sister’s name, Sylvia. I picked up the phone in spite of the late hour before the weekend and called Sylvia. This appeared to be the only way to get in touch with the young man.
After a few rings, a soft voice answered. I introduced myself and explained how case management could help the applicant. The woman started sobbing. Sylvia was only 23 years old; her mother was on a respirator in the hospital and estranged from her father. She launched into the story about how her brother has changed and how sick he has become. He no longer has been showering or making friends. He won’t eat and complains of a constant stomachache. Sylvia was inconsolable on the phone. She sobbed for her brother and for her mother. She was relieved to talk to someone that understood what she was going through.
Sylvia brought her brother to the case management office the following week. As she sat next to her brother, I was so touched by this young woman who was able to juggle the multiple responsibilities that life was handing her. The young man in need of case management had a beautiful head of blond hair and sensitive eyes. He was apprehensive about accepting help and skeptical as to how we could possibly help him. Together, they learned about available resources and psychiatric illnesses.
Sylvia started going to family support groups and kept in contact with people from the groups during times when her brother was distant and dealing with his symptoms. There were times when neither wanted services. Working with this brother and sister over the next few months proved difficult at times, but after much persistence and many trips to the Department of Social Services, housing providers and visits to psychiatrists, things started to change.
He was linked to treatment and faring much better. To my delight, just a few months later Sylvia was helping her brother learn to drive. He used his permit to bring the two of them to the office. It was an incredible experience to see how case management was not just helping the person in need, but the whole family. It’s been a few years now, and Sylvia’s brother has his own place. He got a car too. He’s not working yet, but he attends a day program four days a week and is looking into VESSID. Sylvia finished her college degree and is living at home with her mom, who still has health problems but is faring much better.
