AGING CARE MANAGEMENT™ SERVICES
Managing and Coordinating Care
If you're looking for help managing and coordinating care for your loved one, an Aging Care Manager, or Geriatric Care Manager, could be exactly what you need. Aging Care Managers help adults with specialized needs get the care they need quickly and effectively.
HOW IT WORKS
A trusted care partner, over time.
First, an Aging Care Manager works with the senior and their family to create an Aging Quality of Care Plan, based on a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment. Then, they ensure the needed resources and services get up and running. After that, an Aging Care Manager continues to manage and coordinate care through regularly scheduled home visits, phone calls, and video calls.
In essence, an Aging Care Manager becomes a family's eyes and ears for an elderly loved one living at home. They oversee care, communicate with outside service providers to make sure the senior's needs are being met, and share that information with family members so everyone stays up to date.
Over the course of frequent, consistent visits, an Aging Care Manager becomes a trusted care partner, which tends to lead to even greater acceptance of needed services.
TYPES OF CARE COORDINATION
One point of contact, for every kind of care.
Having new people, services, or devices in the home can feel overwhelming, especially after a hospital stay or when managing a new condition. Your loved one might wonder what happens if a service isn't a good fit, or if a provider doesn't show up. Having one point of contact simplifies all of it: our clients and their families know that if a challenge comes up, all they need to do is call their Aging Care Manager.
HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS
Navigating a complex system
Navigating the healthcare system is challenging, even under the best of circumstances. Now imagine doing it while coping with a medical condition and any associated pain, cognition issues, depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, or fear. Family members may want to help, but often don't have the knowledge base, persistence, or time required.
An Aging Care Manager has both the experience and the know how to work with complex health care needs: who to call, and how to access lab work, rehab treatments, and every follow up medical appointment, all with the least amount of stress for your loved one.
HOME CARE
Choosing the right kind of help at home
Before hiring a home based caregiver, it's worth considering every option and every question up front.
Options to Consider
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Hiring someone privately
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Treating a private caregiver as an independent contractor
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Using a registry
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Using a home care agency
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Using a care managed home care company
Questions to Ask
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What level of care does your family member need?
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How much care does your family member need?
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If you hire privately, how will you handle liability, risk, and labor laws?
Our Aging Care Managers can walk you through the entire process, providing decision support along the way. Once you hire a caregiver, they can also help orient and train them, with ongoing oversight and coaching to ensure quality.
HOME HEALTH CARE
Professional care after a change in condition
Home Health Care involves professional Registered Nurses who assess a senior's physical health needs, administer care, and bring in other professional services such as Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing Aid, and Social Work. It's typically needed when there has been a change in a senior's physical condition, whether from a hospitalization or a new diagnosis.
Aging Care Managers work closely with those delivering Home Health Care, forming a bridge between these professionals and the home based caregivers who typically continue on as the senior's condition stabilizes, easing the transition and providing both continuity and peace of mind.
FACILITY BASED CARE
When a move makes sense
An Aging Care Manager can help your loved one weigh the pros and cons of various living options, including a move to facility based care. They can coach families through having that conversation, or, when it's needed, be the one to broach the subject and explain why it's a viable option.
If your loved one does move, an Aging Care Manager can help manage the transition. Aging Care Managers are often retained to make wellness visits one to two times per month, assessing the situation and providing feedback to the family. They can also attend monthly care conferences at nursing facilities, assisted living communities, or memory care neighborhoods to get updates from staff and advocate for their clients.
END OF LIFE CARE
Support with the hardest transitions
End of life care is replete with emotionally charged challenges. Our Aging Care Managers are also Certified End of Life Doulas, and can help you cope, providing support and guidance, along with access to resources and education.
There is great comfort in knowing an Aging Care Manager will be by your side wherever your path may lead, whether that's a hospital, a hospice center, or home with hospice services. They will work to understand your needs and preferences, and will honor your wishes every step of the way.