Archive for the ‘Geriatric Care Management’ Category

What sort of training is typical of a geriatric care manager?

Posted on: April 23rd, 2012 by aagingbetter

Knowing the credentials of a geriatric care manager (GCM) or geriatric agency can also help explain how a GCM or agency will advocate on behalf of your loved one.  Geriatric care agencies and managers are trained and experienced in one or more fields related to health and long-term care options, including, but not limited to:

  • Nursing
  • Gerontology (the field of elderly, over 65 year olds)
  • Social work
  • Psychology, with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care

Plus, professional geriatric care managers and agencies have a combined working knowledge of:

  • Human development
  • Health and psychology
  • Family dynamics
  • Public and private resources and funding sources

Besides older adults and their families, geriatric care management services are appropriate for:

  • A company whose employee is losing work time because of caregiving responsibilities
  • An attorney or trust officer who is managing the estate of an older adult and that elderly individual needs in-home care to remain safely and effectively at home
  • A physician who recommends in-home assistance or monitoring
  • A clergy who would like to arrange assistance for an older adult

Care management embraces a comprehensive range of services, and the role of the care manager or home-care agency manager is multifaceted.  To learn more about geriatric care management services from the perspective of an in-home care agency, contact us at 208-777-0308 in the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls (Main Office) or Hayden Lake areas; at 208-263-7889 in the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry or Priest River areas; or 208-784-1505 in the Kellogg, Wallace or Pinehurst areas. We serve the greater Coeur d’Alene area and the five northern counties of Idaho.  If you or your loved one needs assistance in the home, we would be privileged to care for them.

 

 

What You Need to Know When Hiring a Geriatric Care Manager

Posted on: April 16th, 2012 by aagingbetter

At AAging Better, we’ve made selecting a geriatric care manager easy—by listing the tough questions you need answers to.  Reputable geriatric care manager agencies should be able to outline and answer the following questions:

  • Which organizations do they belong to?
    • Idaho Association of Home Care Agencies?
    • National Private Duty Association?
    • American Society on Aging?
    • Gerontological Society of America?
    • National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers?
    • National Council on Aging?
    • What are the fees for their services?
      • Do they charge for an initial assessment?
      • Will there be an ongoing hourly fee or a one-time retainer fee?
      • What additional fees will apply, if any?
      • Are there any discounts or reduced fees available?
      • How often will they bill me or my loved ones?
      • Are they available to begin services now?  If not, how long is the waiting list?
      • Are caregivers or management available outside of normal business hours, if needed?
      • Is there a backup caregiver when the initial one is not available?
      • What does the agency consider an emergency or crisis?  When an emergency occurs, what is the company’s procedure to handle it?
      • How are caregivers supervised by management?

Once you have a good sense of the agency’s background and operating style, now you need to ask if this particular agency has the type of skilled caregivers you would like to have take care of you or have in the home with one of your loved ones.  Is the agency and the assigned caregiver a good “fit” for you or your family member.  You might consider the following questions:

  • Does this agency and the assigned caregiver/s appear interested in meeting my needs or the needs of my loved one?
  • Does the agency manager appear knowledgeable about the services available in the area my loved one lives?
  • Did the agency or their care manager return my call/s promptly?
  • Could I work well with this person?
  • Can I trust this person with sensitive and confidential information?

To learn more about geriatric care management services, contact us at 208-777-0308 in the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls (Main Office) or Hayden Lake areas; at 208-263-7889 in the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry or Priest River areas; or 208-784-1505 in the Kellogg, Wallace, or Pinehurst areas. We serve the greater Coeur d’Alene area and the five northern counties of Idaho.  Regardless of where you live in North Idaho, we have caregivers living right in your area to care for you or your loved ones.

 

 

Does Hiring a Geriatric Care Manager Make Sense?

Posted on: April 9th, 2012 by aagingbetter

Hiring a geriatric care manager will make your life or the life of your loved one easier, but when does it make the most sense?  When considering whether or not the services of a professional geriatric care manager are needed, consider the following questions:

  1. Are the senior’s issues becoming more numerous and complex than can be comfortably managed by you or another family member?
  2. Are other family needs and responsibilities getting in the way of providing the desired level of supervision and attention to the loved one or frail elderly relative?
  3. Are care responsibilities interfering with your paid employment?
  4. Are you or the current caregiver unable to provide the desired level of care and supervision due to your own health issues or other reasons?
  5. Are you or the current caregiver finding it difficult to coordinate all medical appointments and fulfill all documentation requirements?
  6. Are you or other family caregivers finding it difficult to manage the senior’s finances and/or household chores/responsibilities, such as getting a new roof, maintaining the grounds, keeping the loved one’s care maintained, etc.?
  7. Are care decisions and questions causing conflict and disagreement within the family or among the responsible parties?
  8. Is more knowledge of appropriate and applicable resources desired (community resources, state and federal programs, like Medicaid or Medicare, and alternate living arrangements, etc.)?
  9. Does the senior require services that family and friends do not have the time, skill or inclination to provide?
  10. Does the family live far away from the senior requiring care, say, in another state or across the United States?

If the answers to three or more of the above questions are, “Yes”, a professional geriatric care manager could be very beneficial for the situation.  Federal agencies, such as the Area Agency on Aging for northern Idaho, fulfills some of this type of service for families by providing an “Options Counselor.”  This individual can be reached at 208-667-3179 in Coeur d’Alene, or at 1-800-786-5536 for those calling from outside the area.  She has guided families since 2006 through the maze of options available to North Idaho residents and has helped them find the right resources when needed.

To learn more about geriatric care management services and what AAging Better can offer you or your loved one in staying safely and effectively at home, contact us online or by calling 208-777- -0308 in the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls (Main Office) or Hayden areas; at 208-263-7889 in the  Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry or Priest River areas; or 208-784-1505 in the Kellogg, Wallace or Pinehurst area.  We serve the greater Coeur d’Alene area and the five northern counties of Idaho.

 

 

Getting to Know: Geriatric Care Managers

Posted on: April 2nd, 2012 by aagingbetter

Are you in charge of your loved one’s care?  Managing finances and hiring new services to make living at home possible for aging or frail elderly relatives can be overwhelming for most family members. Many simply don’t know where to turn to seek advice or find a supportive advocate for their aging loved one.  Professional geriatric care managers (GCMs) are an excellent resource in these situations.  GCMs work with families to design and manage a care plan that suits each senior with services such as:

  • Care planning assessments to identify needs, problems and eligibility for assistance, such as Medicaid or possibly Medicare, if the individual’s physician orders specific Medicare-covered home services.
  • Mediation between siblings or family members who cannot agree on the type of care the loved one needs or should have.  Unfortunately, this type of situation is not uncommon among family members with strong opinions about their parent or loved one.
  • Communication and coordination efforts across all medical and other care providers.  A good example of this would be coordinating appointments between doctor’s offices, physical therapists, nutritionists, occupational therapists, social workers, etc.
  • Act as a liaison for families at a distance, reporting back with any adjustments in care or financial issues.  When a son or daughter is trying to set up home care or other appointments from another state, a GCM can be invaluable in coordinating much of that work for the son or daughter and then reporting the results back to him or her.
  • Client and family education on management of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, heart disease and diabetes.
  • Information on costs, quality and availability of local resources, connecting to specialists when needed or helping family members make a determination of which agency or resource to use based on ratings, reputation or performance feedback.
  • Screening, arranging and monitoring in-home help or other services.
  • Containing costs by avoiding inappropriate placements in such institutions as Assisted Living Facilities, nursing homes, etc., or duplication of services, and crisis intervention to avoid hospitalizations.

Payment for geriatric care management services is generally out of pocket, invoiced by the hour or by the project.  These types of services are not covered by Medicaid, Medicare or most private health insurance policies.  However, some services may be billable to long-term care insurance if the loved one has such a policy.  In that case, the insurance representative that sold the policy to the parent or loved one would be able to tell the family member exactly what the policy covers and what it doesn’t when it comes to in-home care.  Checking with this individual first before making too many decisions for a parent or frail relative could save the family a lot of money out of their own pockets.  Insurance policies seldom pay after the fact.  All services must be pre-approved by the insurance company before any in-home services are started.

If you are concerned about the care of a loved one, or would just like further information on geriatric care managers in our area, contact us online or call us at 208-777-0308 in the Coeur d’Alene, Hayden or Post Falls (Main Office) area; at 208-263-7889 in the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry or Priest River area; or 208-784-1505 in the Kellogg, Wallace or Pinehurst area.  We serve the greater Coeur d’Alene area and all five North Idaho counties.

 

High-Tech Care Coordination for In-Home Care

Posted on: February 20th, 2012 by aagingbetter

If aging in place is part of your senior loved one’s long-term care plan, you want to ensure that he or she can remain at home safely.  Adding newer technology options to your plan can help you coordinate care and maintain a safe environment even when a family or professional caregiver is absent.  There are a number of older and newer devices that can help family members monitor their loved ones at home, such as the following:

  • Web cams & sensor systems like the AttentiveCare and AT&T Remote Monitor systems provide an inside look at the home, so family members or “call center” can watch for any potential accidents an elderly or disabled individual might have at home.  The sensor systems can also send alerts to the appropriate monitoring parties when doors or windows are opened–or even when water is leaking from a faucet in the monitored home.
  • Emergency response pendants like those provided by KMC’s LifeLine program and others give seniors a sense of safety, knowing they can call for help at the push of a button if they fall or otherwise need assistance.  Emergency responders are quick to respond to the call.
  • Telehealth monitors collect readings for a patient’s weight, blood pressure, and other physiological measurements without having to make a doctor’s appointment.  Again, the readings are automatically transmitted to a “call center” that collects the data and forwards the information on to doctor’s offices or other appropriate responders.
  • Automatic pill dispensers remind patients to take their medications by voice message, text, and/or flashing lights, and dispense the right dose at the right time.  Many can even call the family caregiver in the event that the patient misses a dose.

The health care industry has made great strides in technology for in-home care clients over the past decade.  For more information on how to coordinate a loved one’s care at home, contact us or call AAging Better In-Home Care at (208) 777-0308 in the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls or Hayden areas, (208) 263-7889 in the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry or Priest River areas, or (208) 784-1505 in the Kellogg, Wallace or Pinehurst areas.

Planning for Long-Term Care: Things to Consider

Posted on: February 13th, 2012 by aagingbetter

As individuals age, the ability to perform certain everyday activities usually begins to falter in the sixth or seventh decades of life, often to the point that extra assistance in maintaining a home or personal needs become essential to remain safely at home.  For family members, understanding the care needs of older loved ones and what is involved with different levels of care is an important first step in coordinating a long-term care plan.   The activities of daily living (ADLs) are often the first items of care that an elderly person will require help with.  Traditionally, these include but are not limited to:

  • Assistance with Bathing
  • Assistance with Dressing
  • Assistance with Grooming or Personal hygiene
  • Exercise
  • Walking, transfers and repositioning
  • Meal planning and preparation
  • Housekeeping–cleaning and laundry

Other non-medical services that may need to be included in a “Plan of Care” for the elderly or disabled individuals are companionship services, as well as respite services that are designed to provide relief and “a break” for a family caregiver who may be caring for a loved one.  In-home care agencies, like AAging Better In-Home Care, are valuable resources for families to consult and discuss what services or accommodations might be needed.  Our agency provides a free in-home assessment to determine the care requirements of each new client and then works closely with the client or family member/s to develop a Plan of Care, provide guidance along the way, and implement and monitor continuing care and services.  As industry experts, in-home care agencies know how to maximize available resources to assure that all needs are met and that the care provided at home ensures a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable environment for the loved one.

At AAging Better, we take pride in helping families coordinate long-term care for their aging loved ones.  To find out more about our services, contact us online or call us at (208) 777-0308 in the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls or Hayden areas, (208) 263-7889 in the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry or Priest River areas, or (208) 784-1505 in the Kellogg, Wallace or Pinehurst areas.

 

 

Options for In-Home Care

Posted on: January 2nd, 2012 by aagingbetter

The choices for in-home care are virtually limitless; there are several different models and payment options depending on the type and amount of care an individual or a loved one requires.  So how do you know what kind of care is right for you or your relative?  Some of the main models of in-home care providers include:

  • Private Duty Care: Private duty services are typically “non-medical” services that include housekeeping, transportation, laundry, meal preparation, shopping for groceries or personal care services, such as assistance with dressing, bathing or grooming.  It can also include care of those with dementia, like Alzheimer’s, or respite care for those family caregivers that need a little time away from caring for their loved one.  Private duty care services are usually paid for directly by the client or his or her family.  Some services may be covered by long-term care insurance, workers’ compensation, or armed services (Veterans Affairs) funding. An important thing to note, however, is that private duty services are not covered by Medicare.  Private duty may be covered by Idaho’s Medicaid Program but the individual would have to contact the Eligibility Department in Coeur d’Alene to determine if they qualified for Medicaid services.  It’s usually a fairly long process to become approved.

  • Home Health Care: Home health care is skilled nursing care that is usually required in the home for treatment of an illness or injury – wound care, injections, diabetes or blood pressure monitoring, and other treatments that require nursing skills.  Home health care can also provide physical, respiratory, occupational or speech therapy.  Unlike private duty care, many home health services are covered under Medicare when it’s in conjunction with a discharge from the hospital, providing that specific conditions are met.
  • Geriatric Care Management: Geriatric care managers handle the details of an individual’s life or estate that fall outside the realms of direct care providers, such as financial and estate management. They can also coordinate care for an individual, mediate family communications, or assist with moving to another living arrangement or closing up of a household. Geriatric care management is traditionally an out-of-pocket expense.

  • Hospice Care: Hospice care is a special type of in-home care, designed to provide comfort and support for patients who are nearing the end of a terminal illness. Hospice provides a range of services, including nursing, mental health, and spiritual advising. Coverage for hospice care is typically offered by most private insurance providers and through Medicare.

For more information about the different models of in-home care and what type of care is right for you, contact AAging Better In-Home Care online or call us at (208) 777-0308 in the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls or Hayden areas, (208) 263-7889 in the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry or Priest River areas, or (208) 784-1505 in the Kellogg, Wallace or Pinehurst areas.

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Considering Options for In-Home Care

Posted on: January 2nd, 2011 by aagingbetter

When faced with the decision to try and stay at home in spite of declining health, increasing frailty or a disability, many individuals may not yet know about some of the options available.  Just starting the search is half the battle because most elderly individuals or family members are uncertain what services are available for themselves or their loved ones.

There are several different categories of in-home care, as well as differing payment options depending on the type and amount of care an individual requires.   So how do you know what kind of care is right for you or your relative?  Some of the main models of in-home care include:

  • Private Duty Care: Companies such as ours (AAging Better) provide private duty services as “non-medical” services which include assistance like companionship, housekeeping, transportation, shopping, meal preparation, laundry and assistance with bathing or dressing, when needed.  It can also include respite care when the family member watching after the disabled person or the elderly family member needs a break from providing that care.  In essence, there are no “medical” services provided by Home Care companies, such as giving shots, catheter care, wound care or suctioning ventilation tubes, etc.  Normally, only companies that employ nurses would be able to offer these kinds of specialized services.  AAging Better is such a company since it also employees RNs and LPNs to provide “skilled nursing” services in addition to its non-medical services.                                                                                           Home Care is usually paid for directly by the client or a family member.  If the client has a long-term care insurance policy, many of these policies will cover “chore or personal care” services in the home but it’s very important that this be determined prior to starting services with a Home Care company in order to avoid being charged for services thought to be covered by the policy.  Also, in rare instances in-home care may be approved for someone on workers’ compensation who has been injured to the point that they are unable to care for themselves in their own home.  And finally, veterans have a special program available called Aid & Attendance that may cover some of the costs of in-home care if the veteran or the surviving spouse qualifies.               A very important fact to be aware of, however, is that private duty services are never covered by Medicare–a very common misconception by the elderly and/or their family members.  However, in many states if an individual qualifies due to low income or disability, they may be able to be approved by the local Medicaid program for a certain number of hours of in-home services each week–paid for by the state.  Local health and welfare offices can answer any questions someone might have regarding how to qualify and what the application process entails.

  • Home Health Care: Home Health consists of skilled nursing or “medical” care that is usually required in the home for treatment of an illness or injury – wound care, injections, diabetes or blood pressure monitoring, and other treatments that require nursing skills.  Home Health can also provide physical, respiratory, occupational or speech therapy when ordered by the attending doctor upon discharge from the hospital.  Unlike Home Care, most often Home Health services are covered by Medicare, particularly when the services are ordered by a physician upon discharge from the hospital or when other specific conditions are met.
  • Geriatric Care Management: A small but growing phenomenon occurring across the U.S. is an industry called “Geriatric Care Management.”  These companies or individuals handle the details of an infirm or elderly person’s medical needs, life or estate that typically fall outside the realm of financial advisers and estate management.  These “managers” can  coordinate in-home care for an individual, doctor’s appointments, care of the house grounds, mediate family communications, or assist with moving to another living arrangement–and even close up a household when the elderly (or a sick) client moves or passes away.  Geriatric care management is traditionally an out-of-pocket expense.

  • Hospice Care: Hospice care is a special type of in-home care, designed to provide comfort and support for patients who are nearing the end of a terminal illness.  It is usually approved by the patient’s doctor when it is expected that the individual has about six months or less to live.  Contrary to popular myth, hospice is a comforting and often-times serene experience for the family and person facing the difficult and uncertain challenges of end-of-life transition.  Depending on the individual/s involved, hospice can provide a range of very important services, including nursing oversight, mental health and spiritual advice. Coverage for hospice care is typically offered by most private insurance providers and  through Medicare.

For more information about the different models of in-home care and what type of care is right for you or your loved one, contact AAging Better In-Home Care online or call us at (208) 777-0308 in the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls or Hayden areas, (208) 263-7889 in the Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry or Priest River areas, and (208) 784-1505 in the Kellogg, Wallace or Pinehurst areas.  We’ll be happy to assist you in any way we can.

 

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