As we age, so do our parents. If you are an adult child who has reached the point where you are now providing care for an aging parent, you may also be feeling a bit overwhelmed. No matter how well-intentioned you may be, caring for an elderly parent can become too much at times. According to a Carmel elder law attorney at Frank & Kraft, a geriatric care manager may be the solution.
Caregiver Facts and Figures
If you are the primary caregiver for an elderly parent (or other loved one), it may feel as though you are going through something that no one else could possibly understand. At time, you likely get frustrated, resentful, lonely, and just plain exhausted. As the following facts and figures show, however, you are definitely not alone:
What Is a Geriatric Care Manager?
A Geriatric Care Manager represents a growing service offering support to adult children who need outside assistance with care and personal management for their aging parents who live close by or far away. Often, children are still raising their own families and/or dedicated to a career that makes it difficult to also provide consistent care to an aging parent without help. Also referred to as Care Management or Aging Care Management, geriatric care managers are particularly useful in helping aging seniors find their way through the maze of long-term care services and issues. Here is a list of what a care manager might do:
- Assess the level and type of care needed and develop a care plan
- Take steps to start the care plan and keep it functioning
- Make sure care is received in a safe and disability friendly environment
- Resolve family conflicts and other family issues relating to long term care
- Become an advocate for the care recipient and the family caregiver
- Manage care for a loved one for out-of-town families
- Conduct ongoing assessments to monitor and implement changes in care
- Oversee and direct care provided at home
- Coordinate the efforts of key support systems
- Provide personal counseling
- Help with Medicaid qualification and application
- Arrange for services of legal and financial advisors
- Manage a conservatorship for a care recipient
- Provide assistance with placement in assisted living facilities or nursing homes
- Monitor the care of a family member in a nursing home or in assisted living
- Assist with the monitoring of medications
- Find appropriate solutions to avoid a crisis
- Coordinate medical appointments and medical information
- Provide transportation to medical appointments
- Assist families in positive decision making
- Develop long range plans for older loved ones not now needing care
How Do I Find a Geriatric Care Manager?
If you think a geriatric care manager might be able to help you, finding one is fairly easy. A good place to start is on the National Care Planning Council’s website. The NCPC provides a listing service for families looking for care managers. There is typically a fee for an initial assessment.
Contact a Carmel Elder Law Attorney
For more information, please join us for a FREE upcoming seminar. If you have additional questions or concerns about how a geriatric care manager might be able to help you, or about other elder law related issues, contact an experienced Carmel elder law attorney at Frank & Kraft by calling (317) 684-1100 to schedule an appointment.
Mr. Kraft assists clients primarily in the areas of estate planning and administration, Medicaid planning, federal and state taxation, real estate and corporate law, bringing the added perspective of an accounting background to his work.
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