"Such professionals can be a tremendous help if you're trying to take care of ailing parents but live far away." Following is a scenario of how a care manager may be used:
On a Tuesday night in late July, Jon Meyers, 42, got the call every child with an elderly parent dreads. His 84-year-old mother, Ruth, who suffers from dementia, had fallen in her kitchen and was heading to a New Jersey hospital by ambulance. But instead of agonizing over not being able to get there quickly -- it's four hours from his home in Washington, D.C., to Point Pleasant, N.J. -- Meyers took comfort in the fact that Stephen Mielach, a geriatric care manager, was following the ambulance, ready to take control. On recommendation of his mother's physician, Meyers, an only child, hired Mielach. He accompanies Meyer's mother on doctor visits, looks after her dog on occasion, and even helped with the paperwork for a reverse mortgage so that she could stay in her home.
The role of a geriatric care manager goes well beyond that of a home health aide. Care managers oversee many things busy family members might not be able to stay on top of: vetting nursing homes and assisted living facilities, overseeing home health aides, providing guidance about entitlement programs and benefits, making sure that rugs in a parent's home don't slip and that refrigerators are stocked.
An estimated 7 million people care for adult relatives from a distance, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving. Preliminary research by United Healthcare (UNH) Evercare indicates that elderly patients who have a GCM get more thorough care than patients who do not. This research was conducted in conjunction ith Santa Monica (Calif.) think tank, Rand Corp.
According to Linda Fodrini-Johnson, president-elect of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, 35% of members have nursing degrees, 50% have social work or counseling backgrounds, the other 15% have experience in fields such as physical therapy or occupational therapy or have advanced degrees in gerontology and related fields.
Care Managers begin the process with an assessment. This review includes medical/mental history, environmental or safety review, and looking at financial, legal, and social issues. Hiring one of these professionals for a comprehensive assessment ranges from $200 to $850. Hourly rates can range from $80 to $200. As the article states, finding someone to help you take care of an elderly relative can benefit your health as well as theirs. In Suzanne and Peter Cooper's case, they were raising their five-year-old son while living with her 84-year-old mother who has Alzheimer's disease. Suzanne, 49, says her own mental and physical state has improved dramatically since she hired Nancy Bortinger, of geriatric services at Vantage Health System in Dumont, N.J. Bortinger plowed through a list of 20 local day-care facilities to get Suzanne's mother out of the house for stimulation and socialization. Now she is helping Suzanne place her mother in a respite care center for one week while the family takes a much needed vacation.
According to Suzanne, GCMs are like a GPS system for a car, the GPS gets you right to the place you need to get to even if you have maps in the car.
To find a certified geriatric care manager in Boca Raton, Florida with 30 years experience in healthcare and with an advanced degree in gerontology and experience in nursing home administration and therapeutic activities management contact: Olga Brunner, MS, CMC of A Good Daughter Elder Care Management at 561-392-3574 or at www.AGoodDaughter.com
To find a certified geriatric care manager elsewhere in the U.S. contact the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers at http://www.caremanager.org
To find out what credentials are accepted by the National Assocation:
Care Manager Certified (CMC)
Applicants need an advanced academic degree in a related field with up to six years of experience caring for people with chronic disabilities. Must pass a four-hour exam after supervision with direct case management experience and recommendation.
Certified Case Manager (CCM)
Must pass a 180-question exam and get a license or certification that allows the caregiver - such as a nurse - to operate independently, without supervision.
Certified Advanced Social Worker in Case Management (C-ASWCM)
In addition to a master's degree in social work, an applicant needs 1,500 paid supervised hours with direct case management experience.
Certified Social Work Case Manager (C-SWCM)
Similar to advanced certification, but designed for people with bachelor's degrees in social work.
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