Geriatric Care Management

So today I learned about a service that I have not had any experience with.  It is called Geriatric Care Management.  Some of you may already be familiar with this service, but it intrigued me because of my lack of knowledge about it.  So I did some research about it. This service offers support for families caring for older adults.  Many of people who are faced with caring for a spouse or parent who is declining in their health really have no idea where to begin to look for help.  Those difficulties are escalated when you are a child of an older adult and live miles away.   The day-to-day care that is needed can leave you exhausted and feeling depleted to even have the energy to look for help.

Geriatric Care Management offers care managers that specialize in social services. They assist in finding the help you need based on your individual situation.  Their goal is to help older adults find the best quality of life physically, mentally and socially.   If you are looking for help finding the right long-term care or assisted living facility, they can help you with that process.  If you need someone locally to check in regularly on a loved one, they can provide that service.  They will advocate for any needs that will assist in achieving an improved quality of life for the older adult as well as for the caregiver.

Geriatric Care Managers charge clients in a variety of ways, but typically their hourly rates are between $50-$200 an hour.   Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance very rarely pay for these costs; long term care insurance might, but most often this is an out-of-pocket cost.  I know that sounds expensive, but when you consider the convenience and security they provide, the cost can seem worth it.  Actually, Care Managers usually save families money despite being an out-of-pocket cost because their needs assessments align an individual’s present condition with only those services that are necessary at that point in time.  This prevents unnecessary fees from home care providers and assisted living residences.

This service is worth checking out if you are struggling to decide the best way to provide care for an aging adult.  The first step is to locate one and simply have a phone conversation with them about different ways that they might be able to help your situation.  A simple Google search for Geriatric Care Management will help you easily locate one near you.  If you decide it is worth the investment, they will come to meet you and your loved one to perform a complete assessment; physically, mentally, financially and socially.  Together you create a plan to manage care.

Like I said before, I do not have any first hand experience with this service but it appears to be a very useful resource in assisting caregivers to manage care.  If you have ever used this service or know of someone who did, I would be very interested to hear what the experience was like.  Did they own up to what they offer?

Finding the right kind of help that is available for you is vital to Aging with Ease!