How A Geriatric Care Manager Can Help Family Caregivers
Extended or even immediate families often shared the job of tending to their senior loved ones. Oftentimes, families may live farther apart, and the responsibility for care can fall on one overwhelmed family member who is not close by.
The good news is that there are geriatric care managers who can help!
What is a Geriatric Care Manager?
Care Managers, or a Geriatric Care Manager, also known as Elder Care or Aging Care Managers, represent a growing trend to help family caregivers provide care for loved ones living close by or living far away. Unfortunately, if a senior has been living alone and isolated for too long, their mental and even physical state can begin to decline rapidly.
Care managers are instrumental in helping family members and seniors find the right services along with organizing all doctor visits, medication management, and other health-related aids.
How can Care Managers help your family?
Care managers help family members find better and more efficient ways of providing care for a loved one. The concept is simple. The family hires a professional adviser to act as a guide through the maze of long-term care services and providers. The care manager visits as many times as they need. The initial visit is typically the longest as the care manager performs a thorough assessment to include but not limited to: inspection of the home to make sure the senior is in a safe living environment, accurate medications or to set up additional services like home health if needed.
At North Star Cares, we also assist in locating senior living options such as an assisted living or memory care if the senior is no longer safe living by themselves. We will explain the different options that are available to you to ensure your loved one is receiving the care best suited for them. 24/7 home care can also be an option; however, this tends to add up very quickly upwards to $13k or more each month while the average cost for assisted living starts closer to $3500/month.
Having one individual be the point of contact for all health-related services is a real life-saver for many families. It eliminates most of that confusion when trying to keep up with several phone numbers of different companies. Family members have peace of mind that one individual is ensuring their senior loved one is being taken care of, whether it is through home health services, home safety evals, accurate medication management, or companionship.
A Geriatric Care Manager can also assist Caregivers from afar or locally as well by:
- Offer referrals to financial, legal or medical professionals and suggesting ways to avert problems
- Explaining complex topics with the recipient of care or family members
- Acting as a liaison to families who may be hundreds of miles away
- Answering questions and addressing emotional concerns of caregivers and their loved ones
- Arranging for relief – arranging respite care, or other living arrangements for caregivers experiencing burnout if needed
Make sure to check references and credentials
Unlike medical doctors and registered nurses, geriatric care managers don’t have to have state-level license requirements nor are they regulated.
There are two organizations, however — the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC) and the National Academy of Certified Case Managers (NACCM) that offer certification programs. Both organizations require specialized degrees, experience and successful completion of an examination.
North Star Cares only hires Care Managers who are certified as a Care Manager, Certified (CMC) along with several years of experience. We even take it a step further and have Registered Nurses on Staff as well as certify all employees as Certified Dementia Practitioners (CDP).
North Star Cares is Here for You
We know there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to caring for a senior loved one. Our dedicated team of compassionate and experienced care managers is here to help you through the aging process!
Learn more about North Star Cares here. There, you can fill out a form to have an experienced care manager call you at a requested call back time or you may reach us directly at 407-796-1582.
