When You Could Use A Geriatric Care Manager
Do you need to find a Geriatric Care Manager?
By Barbara Applegate, Founder of A.G.E. Consultants and All Valley Guest Contributor
I’ve been working as a geriatric care manager in Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding counties since 1998. In that time I’ve seen over and over again that when your elderly parent (or another loved one) requires care, it can be difficult to find a solution everyone feels good about—especially when you consider how those care needs may evolve over the months and years of receiving it. In these situations, a geriatric care manager may be your best resource.
And you’re not alone either! According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the aging population of America has been rapidly increasing since 2008. There’s a bigger need than ever for the answers and the care available through a geriatric care manager.
If you are struggling with finding the right help and care for your aging parent, this article is for you! We’ll talk about what a geriatric care manager is, how they might be able to help, and how you can find a geriatic care manager.
What is a Geriatric Care Manager?
A geriatric care manager is someone specialized in focusing on the issues of aging and disability. They may begin their careers as social workers, nurses, psychologists, lawyers, or therapists. These varied backgrounds give them unique perspectives that help them determine the necessary care for your geriatric loved one and plan a long-term care routine.
Anyone you’re considering as you find a geriatric care manager should be able to provide a clear and comprehensive explanation of their care services. This can mean how they intend to personally care for your loved one, how they might organize your geriatric care team, and resources and reasons for their proposed care management routine.
By understanding their strengths and the scope of their care, you can adjust and customize how your geriatric loved one receives the long-term care they need.
Why You May Need a Geriatric Care Manager
Whether you’re preparing for the future or you find yourself with a sudden need to plan things out for an elderly parent or loved one, it’s important to understand how a geriatric care manager can alleviate some of the burden of long-term care.
Perhaps you’ve seen a change in how your loved one thinks or acts. Maybe you’ve heard from your loved one’s physician that they’re concerned about them living alone. Here are some of the typical care situations we see where it would be a good idea for a geriatric care manager to be involved:
Your loved one is repeatedly admitted to the hospital for care
They experience difficulty adjusting to the loss of physical functioning
They live alone with impairments
They lack insurance or sources of income
They’re in an unsupervised paid care situation where you can’t monitor them
They’ve experienced a recent crisis
Regardless of the situation, it’s easy to be confused about how to approach any type of long-term care—and it can quickly become overwhelming if your loved one needs more care than you can provide on a daily basis. A geriatric care manager can be an excellent starting place AND solution to all these issues.
How a Geriatric Care Manager Helps
If you decide to find a geriatric care manager, the first thing they’ll help you with is creating a long-term care plan. This happens after a comprehensive assessment of your loved one’s situation, their impairments, and estimations on how their care needs may progress over time.
Once the geriatric care manager reviews your case, they’ll offer help locating any community resources you might need, arranging healthcare services, and scheduling ongoing care that’s up to your satisfaction and your loved one’s preferences. Services may range from assessments to hands-on home-care, allowing you and your loved one the option of fine-tuning how much care the geriatric care manager provides.
In the event of obstacles—legal, medical, or otherwise—many geriatric care managers can advocate for your loved one. They also offer counseling, education, and support regarding your loved one’s care to you and your family.
Here’s a run down of some of the services offered by geriatric care managers:
Psycho-social Assessments
These evaluations take into account your loved one’s emotional, mental, social, physical, and living arrangement needs. The geriatric care managers will then typically provide a written report with all the information you need to get started in providing appropriate care. These assessments are also a good option after care has been going on for some time to reevaluate your loved one’s needs.
Geriatric Care Management
Geriatric care managers primarily help you find support services that fit both your geriatric loved one’s care as well as your own needs for help and guidance. This management may cover everything from nursing assessments and medication management, to coordinating medical appointments and managing all medical care by working closely with any primary care physicians.
Consultation Services
In the event that you or your loved one do not want a geriatric care manager to oversee care regimens, they are always available to answer questions and offer guidance along the way as you navigate this sensitive family topic.
Home Care Services
Geriatric care managers can also help you find a match between caregivers and your geriatric loved one’s needs. In-home caregivers can provide a full range of home care and respite care, including meal planning, transportation, socialization, and daily personal care—which means you want a caregiver who’s going to provide the highest quality of care. When you work with geriatric care manager to find and vet your home care service, it’s easier to move forward with confidence, knowing you’ll get the most out of your arrangements.
Crisis Intervention
In the worst-case scenario, geriatric care managers can offer emergency services to stabilize your loved one’s situation. This care assistance includes things like coordinating emergency housing, caregivers, medical problems, and security concerns so that you can get your loved one out of a bad situation.
How Do You Find a Geriatric Care Manager?
In Arizona, we’ve been providing geriatric care management services at A.G.E. Consultants for decades, and we work closely with All Valley Home Health Care to help the community understand that finding the right geriatric care manager may mean the difference between confusion and clarity when making care decisions for your elderly parent or loved one. Other good resources are the Aging Life Care Association and the geriatric care manager ElderCare Locator database provided as a public service by the U.S. Administration on Aging.
Since geriatric care managers come from all walks of life, each individual and agency will have a unique view that drives their passion in caring for your loved one’s needs. This variety makes it important to find someone who’s a good fit for your loved one and family, so we encourage you to be diligent in taking the time to find the geriatric care management team that is best for you.
If you find yourself in a situation where you’re searching for answers or are making plans for the future, All Valley Premier Private Care & Home Health Care has a variety of resources available to help. You can reach out for further help and guidance here. They are happy to provide information at all levels on the options available when you’re looking to find a geriatric care manager who can help evaluate your case, determine the best care to provide your loved one, and organize everything so you can rest easy knowing your loved one is getting the care they deserve.