I AM PCA: Marialana Crispin, PCA’s director of Long-Term Care OPTIONS
Marialana Crispin began her college studies in criminal justice to become a lawyer. Then, she encountered a social worker who inspired a change.
“At the time, my mother was in her 50s and going through cancer treatment,” Crispin says. “Mom had a great social worker who connected her to a bunch of resources. We would not have been privy to this information without that support. It was a great help to my mother, but also to me, as her caregiver. I changed my education and career direction because of that experience.”
Crispin went on to earn her Master of Social Work from Rutgers University. While there, she completed an internship at PCA. This care management internship was the start of her social work career.
“My first job was in a nursing home,” she says. “I’ve always worked with older adults. That’s the population I enjoy working with the most.”
Over the next 16 years, Crispin moved up the ranks within PCA’s Long-Term Care OPTIONS Department. She was recently promoted to OPTIONS director. She now oversees more than 50 employees and more than 4,700 older adult consumers.
Crispin says the scope of her work has changed as her career progressed. But the goal has always remained the same. Support healthy aging by connecting older adults to vital services and resources.
“The services PCA provides allow people to age in place,” she says. “We help to keep them independent in their homes. Home modifications allow people to safely move between floors and leave the home.”
There’s a lot of food insecurity among older adults, especially in Philadelphia. PCA’s Home-delivered Meals help older adults who can’t get out to shop for groceries or prepare meals. “For many older Philadelphians, it’s often a choice between buying food or paying a bill,” Crispin says. “The number of meals that PCA serves has grown significantly since the COVID pandemic.”
PCA’s care managers meet with older adults and their families to coordinate services. These include personal care, emergency response systems and medical equipment.
“I remember a situation with a care manager who really went above and beyond,” Crispin recalls. “It’s always stayed with me.”
An older woman who was homebound and lived alone relied on PCA services for her daily care. Her family lived out of state, and she could not leave her home without assistance. One day, the personal care agency couldn’t get in touch with her. This was unusual. It was reported to her PCA care manager, who promptly went to the woman’s home. After knocking on the door, faint cries for help could be heard from the doorstep. A call to 911 was made. Emergency personnel entered the home to find the woman had fallen. “She had been laying on the floor for hours,” Crispin says.
“This happened on a Friday. She would have been there all weekend if PCA had not quickly intervened.”
It’s stories like these that make working at PCA so meaningful.
“Starting a family and having my own responsibilities has prepared me for this role,” she says. “It helps to shape the decisions you make. You look at a situation differently when you’re going through the same stressors as that person. It helps you grow in your position and career. If you have lived it, you really understand it.”
Caregiver support is as vital to healthy aging as long-term care. Crispin is among the “Sandwich Generation.” These adults are still raising children while caregiving for older relatives.
“Now, we are seeing multiple family generations who need care simultaneously,” she says. “Like a mother and son who are both receiving PCA services. With longevity, comes the need for more services to be provided over a longer period of time.”
PCA is here to help you every step of the way.
For more information about PCA programs or to schedule an assessment for service eligibility, call the PCA Helpline at 215-765-9040 or Click Here>>
