Problem
Thomas is a 71 year old male living in his own home, he is alert and oriented to person, place and time. Thomas is a Vietnam Veteran who has never been married but has a daughter he is estranged from. Thomas is a retired sanitation worker, he worked for Waste Management for about 30 years and receives a small pension and social security. He is still driving although has had a couple small car accidents, one with a DUI. He is currently driving on a suspended license. Thomas has a history if depression, alcoholism and diabetes he is not managing well. He was recently hospitalized after falling outside the local VFW but checked himself out against medical advice. His primary care physician has attempted to make appointments with him but Thomas does not show up for appointments as he had an altercation with the office nurse after she appeared to judge him for his lifestyle choices and told him "these are decisions you have made, you need to make better choices or you will kill yourself; you veterans just cant handle real life". Thomas does not have much of a support system but he is allowing local senior services to evaluate if he qualifies for homemaker services. You are the case worker coming to evaluate.
Respond to these questions given some of the information from this week's materials as well as research and sources you have found, If using outside sources, cite them. Yes/no questions are not appropriate you need to elaborate.
A. How would you approach Thomas for the first visit given the information provided? What sort of research would you do to educate yourself prior to this visit?
B. What sort of resources/referrals would you recommend for Thomas? List 3-5 and why you would make this recommendation
C. Would the soul Injury program be appropriate for Thomas? Why or why not
D. List 3-5 health promotion topics or exercise types you would suggest for Thomas