My wife and I had the experience of taking care of my mother-in-law for 12 years and had to deal with many different circumstances and conditions that we were not prepared to handle. The same old story of ” if we had known then what we know now” fits this type of care situation for most families taking care of their elders.

Thanks to Lauren Watral for the following info:

Care managers have a wide range of services. Consult with your local geriatric care manager to find out more about what services they specifically provide. Here’s a list from the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers that may be helpful in understanding the care manager’s scope of practice.

• Conduct care-planning assessments to identify problems and to provide solutions.
• Screen, arrange, and monitor in-home help or other services, including assistance in hiring a qualified caregiver for home care.
• Provide short- or long-term elder care assistance for those engaged in local or long distance caregiving.
• Review financial, legal, or medical issues and offer referrals to geriatric specialists.
• Provide crisis intervention.
• Act as a liaison to families at a distance, overseeing care, and quickly alerting families to problems – especially important when families are engaged in long distance caregiving for a loved one.
• Assist with moving an older person to or from a retirement complex, assisted care home, or nursing home.
• Provide consumer education and advocacy.
• Offer elder care counseling and support.

Some PGCMs also provide family or individual therapy, finance management, conservatorship or guardianship assistance, and/or caregiving services.

Lauren Watral, MSW, Owner of Raleigh Geriatric Care Management, LLC
Lauren’s Blog