It is natural to have questions about our profession. Professional Geriatric Care Management is a specialized service that has been established, and is thriving in larger cities for nearly thirty years, but is not widely known in the Binghamton area. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions we receive.
What is a private Geriatric Care Manager or Aging Life Care Professional?
How can I tell if I need a Geriatric Care Manager’s services?
Who may benefit from hiring a Geriatric Care Manager?
How are Geriatric Care Managers paid?
What is a private Geriatric Care Manager or Aging Life Care Professional?
Geriatric care managers are health and human services professionals with specialized knowledge of and experience in the care of disabled and aging persons. Their backgrounds may include experience in nursing, social work or gerontology with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care. They advocate for clients and help families adjust and cope with the challenges of aging or disability, offering an objective assessment of the situation, arranging for and coordinating appropriate services.
Most geriatric care managers belong to the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) which requires members meet stringent education, experience, and certification requirements, and all members are required to adhere to a strict code of ethics and standards of practice, as well as ongoing education. NAPGCM is becoming the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA) to better reflect the broad spectrum of services and expertise offered by its members. Geriatric Care Managers will now also be known as Aging Life Care professionals.
How can I tell if I need a Geriatric Care Manager’s services?
If you can answer “YES” to any of the following questions, then you would greatly benefit from the services of a professional geriatric care manager.
- Are you unsure whether an aging relative’s behavior is due to normal aging or other serious factors?
- Has there been a sudden or gradual change that you have been noticing which causes you to wonder if your aging family member can continue to live safely at home?
- Do you live a long distance from your aging relative and find it difficult to visit regularly and assess what is happening?
- Do you travel frequently and find that there is no one else to check on your relative?
- Are you concerned about what to expect as you or your parents age?
- Do you feel overwhelmed by your caregiving responsibilities, notice that your life is becoming increasingly stressful, and find that it is impacting your family or work?
- Does your family disagree over what to do about the care of your an aging parent?
Who may benefit from hiring a Geriatric Care Manager?
- Older persons living alone with little or no help
- Family members living out of town who are unable to visit often
- Family members living locally but don’t know how, or are too busy to figure out how to tap into the best and most appropriate resources
- Attorneys and trust officers who need assistance with their clients’ care needs
- Doctors with possible concerns about their patients’ living arrangements
- Hospital/nursing home discharge workers seeking a safe discharge plan with assurance that the patient will have someone coordinating necessary care on a continued basis
- Home care companies looking for help in dealing with their clients’ specialized issues
- Nursing homes seeking adjunct services to help increase contentment for their more challenging residents or residents with no family support
- Cost savings, inappropriate placement
- Reduce repeat hospitalizations
Can I do it all myself?
Many people do, but we can simplify the process by carefully creating a customized, easy to follow plan. We are “one stop” for all of your needs regarding the care of older adults. We are well acquainted with a wide variety of local services, and the quality and cost of each. We can save you precious time and frustration of locating contacts, placing calls and waiting for responses.
How are Geriatric Care Managers paid?
Geriatric Care Managers bill by the hour for professional services. These services are not covered by Medicare, Medicaid or most insurances. Billing is processed monthly and payable upon receipt.
A growing number of companies offer benefits through their insurance plans or Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) to help cover the cost of a professional geriatric care management assessment, specific recommendations and appropriate referrals for an employee's family members. Check with your company's human resources benefits office
