Life Skills Training
How do you refer a member to the Life Skills Training (LST)?
Focus Care is one of the providers in the State of Colorado that assist in these services. If one of your patients is interested in Focus Care for Targeted Case Management (TCM) please call us 720-361-8829 or email info@focuscares.com.
Targeted case management/transition services are designed to assist Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program) members who are interested in transitioning out of long-term care facilities back into home and community-based settings. Those members who are eligible for home and community-based waiver services (HCBS) may also qualify for Life Skills Training (LST) services.
What is Life Skills Training?
Life Skills Training (LST) is a service available through the Colorado Medicaid Waiver Program. LST is an important component in the process of transition, community acclimation and integration.
Life Skill Training services are individually designed programs to maintain the ability of the TCM participant to live as independently as possible in the community. LST assists in recovering skills that have diminished as a result of institutionalization. It helps individuals learn independent living skills, such as: cooking a meal, budgeting, bill payments, or living on their own. We also help people navigate community services and find eligibility benefits.
The goal of LST is to optimize independence by improving a client’s physical, emotional, and economic independence
in the community with or without supports.
How Can Focus Care LST Providers Help?
Daily assistance/training/coaching in cooking, housekeeping, laundry, other in-home activities
Grocery shopping, meal - planning, nutrition
Budgeting, financial management, money handling, and consumer skills
Prompting/coaching member to manage medical appointments, medical supplies and prescriptions, clothing, seasonal needs and shopping
Coaching with using and navigating public transportation
Other help with recreation and community access and orientation
Establishing schedule for attendants
Advocating for one’s self to ensure needs and wants are expressed in care planning
Preventing or making known issues of abuse, neglect, or exploitation
Assisting with integrating into the community
How Do You Refer A Member To The Targeted Case Management (TCM)?
We support experienced transition coordinators in assessing level of care most appropriate to meet safety and care needs in the least restrictive environment to promote independence and enhance quality of lives for patients.
- Do any of your residents feel unhappy or stuck and express wanting to live more independently in the community?
- Refer these individuals to your local options counseling agency.
- An options counselor will meet with the resident to review their current situation and refer them to the transition program.
- During the options counseling meeting, residents can express wishes for their future and select preferred
- agency as Focus Care for transition coordination.
- Focus Care staff will help you and the resident explore and facilitate a move to the community (assisted living or independent living).