Welcome Paola Zavala!

We are thrilled to introduce Paola Zavala as the newest Clinical Social Worker for Dementia Care Aware, in our Division of Geriatrics! With an impressive academic background and a wealth of experience, Paola is sure to be a tremendous asset to our team.

Paola holds a Master of Social Work degree from San Francisco State University, complemented by a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her professional journey includes significant roles such as Clinical Case Manager at the Curry Senior Center, where she managed a diverse caseload of older adults facing chronic health conditions and mental health diagnoses in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. Her work involved conducting comprehensive psychosocial evaluations, crafting tailored treatment plans, and coordinating care with various providers.

Before this, Paola was a Social Services Specialist at City View Post-Acute, a position that refined her skills in leading care planning conferences and performing critical assessments like the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS). Her collaborative efforts spanned across different care settings, addressing palliative care needs, end-of-life planning, and home-based support services for older adults.

In her new role as Clinical Social Worker for the Dementia Care Aware San Francisco (DCA SF) program, Paola will be working closely with an interdisciplinary team to support the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Program.  Her main focus will be to complete patient and caregiver assessments, patient alignment, care planning, home safety assessments, ongoing monitoring and supports, care coordination and transitional care management, referral and coordination of services and supports, caregiver education and support, and monitoring respite services.

We’re incredibly excited to have Paola join our growing DCA team! She brings a genuine passion for collaborative service delivery and a dedication to improving patient care. Paola started today and can be reached at [email protected]. Please join us in giving her a warm welcome to the Division!