Care Managers Advocate for Seniors – and their Caregivers

In the past, extended families often shared the job of tending to their senior loved ones. These days, families may live farther apart, and the responsibility for care can fall on one overwhelmed family member.

The good news is that Care Managers can help.
These professionals, sometimes called “aging life care managers,” are usually licensed nurses or social workers trained in senior care. They act as private advocates and guides for family members who want to ensure their loved one is in the best hands, and they generally serve clients and families whose incomes are too high to qualify for publicly financed services.

“Caring for a senior can often be an overwhelming process,” says Cathryn A. Devons, assistant clinical professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “Geriatric care managers seek to make the process easier by serving as an advocate or counselor — taking the pressure off of family members who often have other commitments, such as parenting and workplace responsibilities.”

The number of caregivers who need help will continue to increase.
People 65 and older now make up about 16 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Population Reference Bureau. By 2060, that share is expected to rise to 23 percent, and the number of seniors is projected to nearly double to 95 million, in part because people are living longer.

For caregivers juggling paying jobs and their responsibilities to loved ones, Care Managers can offer a more efficient path forward, in the same way you might hire a guide to help you climb a mountain.

Many Care Managers started their careers in geriatrics, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy or social work and decided to become geriatric care managers later, having seen such a need for their clients, Wagner says.

What they do now is a range of assessments and coordination of care. Among the services Care Managers can provide:

• Evaluating, arranging for and monitoring in-home personnel and care needs.
• Coordinating medical appointments and arranging for transportation.
• Identifying social services and programs that could help the care recipient.
• Making referrals to financial, legal or medical professionals and suggesting ways to avert problems.
• Explaining complex or difficult topics with the recipient of care or family members.
• Creating short- and long-term care plans that could include other living arrangements.
• Acting as a liaison to families who may be hundreds of miles away.
• Answering questions and addressing emotional concerns of caregivers and their loved ones.
• Arranging for relief or respite care for stressed-out caregivers.

“The manager ensures that the senior’s personal and practical needs are met and can help with more mundane tasks, freeing up family members so that they can enjoy more quality, stress-free time with their loved one,” Devons says. “Very often, we see geriatric care managers become a much-valued part of the family.”

AARP May 15, 2020

If you or a loved one could benefit from Professional Care Management, please contact McKenney Home Care. We have been providing Care Management Services in Collier and Lee Counties since 2013.

McKenney Home Care, in Naples, FL hosts a Lewy Body Dementia Support Group the first Wednesday of every month. This is an ongoing support group approved by the Lewy Body Dementia Association in Atlanta and in affiliation with the Parkinson’s Association of SWFL and the Alzheimer’s Support Network.

McKenney Home Care provides exceptional in-home health services and client-centered care. With a passion for maximizing the quality of life of their clients and families, they are driven to ensure social engagement and specialty services during all stages of life.

For individuals with neurodegenerative disorders, McKenney Home Care delivers enriched specialized training for its caregivers working with Dementia Patients. In addition to specialized videos and manuals, McKenney educates the caregivers through the use of a Virtual Alzheimer’s App. This virtual reality experience helps caregivers understand the feelings and experiences of those suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of Dementia.

If you or someone you know would like more information about McKenney Home Care or the LBD Support Group, please call McKenney Home Care at 239-325-2273 or visit mckenneyhomecare.com

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