Council on Aging Answers 2016 - 26

Geriatric
Care Managers

HEALTHCARE

COUNCIL ON AGING - ORANGE COUNTY

n Kari Buist-Baker, RN, CCM

Your mother is in a nursing home getting poor
care. You don't know where to turn, and everyone
at the supposedly "excellent" nursing home stared at
you and shrugged their shoulders when you asked
for, begged, and then demanded a proper evaluation of your Mother's cognitive status. A very good
friend suggested you hire a professional Geriatric
Care Manager who was then able to get your Mother
an appointment with an excellent neurologist. Your
mother was subsequently diagnosed with Alzheimer's
Dementia and was started on the right medications.
The Geriatric Care Manager has since been with your
mother every step of the way.
What Is A Geriatric Care and/or Case Manager?
Geriatric Care Managers (GCM) or Aging Life
Care Professionals (ALC™) are health and human service specialists who assist older or disabled adults and
their families resolve complex problems through consultations, and care coordination. They have varied
educational and professional backgrounds including
nursing, social work, psychology, rehabilitation, family counseling, physical-occupational-speech therapy
and gerontology. They have expertise working with
older adults and use an integrated and skilled approach to address the many issues required for a comprehensive geriatric assessment.
Their approach includes assessing a person's functional level and impairments to identify existing
needs and problems. They address your loved one's
living situation, family, finances, health history, safety,
nutritional status, memory, and environmental support capabilities. GCM's develop action plans to include short and long term goals for skilled or custodial
home care, medication management, mediation of
family concerns, communication with physicians and
health care professionals.
26

Answers Guide 2016

WHY HIRE A
GERIATRIC CARE MANAGER?
n When concerns go beyond your expertise
and ability to help (be careful of denial on
this one)!
n There have been multiple hospital, emergency room visits, or skilled nursing facility stays
n If the family disagrees on care needs and
would benefit from unbiased information
by mediation or a facilitator
n When confused about options; need
information about community or vetted
resources and services
n If individual has little or no support from
family members and /or living in another
geographical area
n If individual needs oversight of existing
care and is feeling overwhelmed with
navigating the healthcare system
n When you feel the need for an advocate,
a navigator, someone who cares and can
hear your concerns while tailoring the
specific care plan needs with the appropriate resources
How Will I Pay?
Services are billed privately on a fee-for-service basis. Check with the Care/Case Manager as to whether
or not a sliding scale fee can be established. A Care/
Case Manager can help outline the general cost of ser-

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Council on Aging Answers 2016