Discover the many benefits of care coordination services.
All of us want the best for the older adults we love – it’s only natural. But sometimes when families are involved with an older loved one’s care, feelings about what is best may clash. This can cause family members to work against each other as opposed to working together with each other. This is when it can be a good idea to pull in an outside person like a geriatric care manager (GCM), one who recognizes what the elderly need for long-term care and how to go about getting this care.
Geriatric care managers (or aging life care professionals, which is the more modern term) have the expertise needed to assist families in deciding what kind of care a senior family member requires and how to best coordinate that care. They can also act as intermediaries when family members are at odds when attempting to plan care for their loved one.
Consider a geriatric care manager as a “professional family member,” typically a nurse or social worker, with expertise in all of the available resources to assist aging adults with a variety of needs and challenges. Just a few of the many benefits of care coordination from a GCM include:
- Helping families work through difficult conversations and problems
- Addressing emotional concerns
- Collaborating with other care professionals, such as the older adult’s medical team
- Making visits to the home to assess needs and propose appropriate services
- Creating both short-term and long-term care plans and goals
- Offering necessary relief to overloaded family caregivers
Be sure to get the answers to the following types of questions from potential geriatric care managers:
- Are you licensed?
- How much experience do you have as a geriatric care manager?
- What will happen if I have an emergency after-hours?
- Can you provide references I can talk to?
- Does your agency also help with home care services?
Geriatric Care Managers and Home Care
One of the advantages of using a geriatric care manager to help coordinate care is that GCMs are professionals who are trained to work with a number of different types of people and organizations. A GCM can help coordinate health care, work with legal professionals and coordinate with your chosen in-home care agency. Home care agencies, like the top providers of in home care in Mount Pleasant and the surrounding area at Advanced Home Health Care, work seamlessly with geriatric care managers to help alleviate family stress and boost quality of life in the home.
The professionals at Advanced Home Health Care would be pleased to discuss with you how best to go about coordinating care and more about our rehabilitation services in Mount Pleasant, IA and the surrounding areas. Contact us at 800.791.7785 to learn how to get started.
