SENIOR CARE

Do I Really Need a Professional Geriatric Care Manager?

When considering engaging the services of a PGCM, you should evaluate whether you have the time, inclination, or skills to manage the challenges of geriatric care. If you are not sure, ask a trusted advisor to help you decide if an elder care expert may be helpful. Enlisting the support of other family member to consult a professional is a good way to build a consensus on the solutions. Questions that you may wish to consider:

• Are the problems that you or your loved ones are facing becoming larger and more complex than you can comfortably manage?
• Are other demands and responsibilities now so great that you are not able to provide the desired level of supervision and attention to your loved one's problems?

What Can a PGCM Do for Me?

• Conduct care-planning assessments to identify problems and to provide solutions.
• Screen, arrange, and monitor in-home help or other services.
• Provide short- or long-term assistance for caregivers living near or far away.
• Review financial, legal, or medical issues and offer referrals to geriatric specialists.
• Provide crisis intervention.
• Act as a liaison to families at a distance, overseeing care, and quickly alerting families to problems.
• Assist with moving an older person to or from a retirement complex, assisted care home, or nursing home.
• Provide consumer education and advocacy.
• Offer counseling and support.
• Financial management- bill paying

What are the Benefits of Using a PGCM?

Professional Geriatric Care Management services are offered in a variety of settings. Professional Geriatric Care Managers (PGCMs) can serve the needs of their clients with the following services:

• Personalized and compassionate service -- focusing on the individual's wants and needs.
• Accessibility -- care is typically available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Continuity of care management - communications are coordinated between family members, doctors and other professionals, and service providers.
• Cost containment -- inappropriate placements, duplication of services, and unnecessary hospitalizations are avoided.
• Quality control - care management services follow NAPGCM'S Standards of Practice and Pledge of Ethics

Getting the best elder care means not waiting until the last minute by Sandra Block, USA Today

See Brian Williams NBC Nightly News feature on Geriatric Care Management aired on December 20.