If you need assistance with caring for an elderly loved one, are new to elder care or uncomfortable with elder care decision-making, are faced with having to make a sudden decision or major change such as a health crisis or change of residence, or simply want some advice about any aspect of elder care, please don't hesitate to Contact Us.
A professional geriatric care manager (PGCM) is an expert who specializes in assisting older people and their families to attain the highest quality of life given their circumstances.
PGCMs assist families and caregivers in numerous ways. They 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. Some PGCMs also provide family or individual therapy, finance management, conservatorship or guardianship assistance, and/or caregiving services.
Most care management practices focus on older adults, though many have the capability and knowledge to serve others with chronic conditions.
The health care and related services available in the Joplin Tri-State area can offer a great deal, if you know how to make them work for you. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of what benefits they could be receiving, or how to interact with the system to obtain the best services for their situation. Sherry Cole, owner and Geriatric Care Manager of Compassionate Care Senior Services, knows this system inside and out and can advocate for you or your loved ones to receive the highest and most compassionate levels of care obtainable and all coverages that your health insurance promises. Sherry can work with "case managers" from insurance companies, discharge planners in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, administrators of nursing homes or retirement communities and with home care agencies to ensure that you receive the care you need and deserve. Geriatric Care Managers ensure that the needs of the client are foremost, rather than the needs of a facility or provider.
Social Service agencies offer limited services to indigent individuals who otherwise may receive no services at all. The very wealthy often have no trouble obtaining the care they need because they are used to asking for it and can afford to pay quite a bit for it. If you are neither indigent nor extremely wealthy, often times your needs fall through the cracks. There are fewer follow-ups, very little outreach, and no service which is as comprehensive as what private geriatric care management can provide.
After an initial telephone consultation - offered free of charge - an assessment is typically necessary for care managers to understand the environment that the older adult is living in, their level of functioning and their current support network. The assessment involves interviewing the older adult and family members, gathering relevant medical records, developing an individualized action plan and discussing the options with the older adult and caregivers.
No. Sherry Cole of Compassionate Care Senior Services is trained to evaluate all aspects of an older person's life, including legal, financial, home safety, nutritional, and housing issues. An in-depth assessment would include the client's physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and environmental strengths, weaknesses and concerns. The goal of the assessment is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the support required to assist older adults in functioning as independently - and with the highest quality of life - as possible.
With over thirty years experience understanding the ins & outs of the medical profession, Sherry Cole is extremely comfortable and competent to work closely with every professional and para-professional involved with your relatives health care and well-being. Compassionate Care Senior Services can arrange and attend doctor's appointments to ensure that the doctor is getting the full picture and that the elder is able to understand the doctor's instructions. We interface with the home health or hospice nurses and aides who are involved, making sure that the plan of care is followed, and that detailed personal care is always properly performed. We also work closely with attorneys, financial planners, and clergy, to see that all of a person's needs are being met, and not just in one area of life. We will talk to these individuals personally and get their input and medical and professional recommendations regarding the overall care needs and plan.
Many people believe they cannot afford private geriatric care management when they really can. Our initial free telephone consultation uncovers many of these misconceptions and will give you an idea of the cost and options involved. Compassionate Care Senior Services has helped clients save thousands of dollars by recouping insurance monies, applying for assistance programs, recommending better health insurance plans, and using other cost-effective measures while still providing the highest quality care. Investing in your elder's care through geriatric care management services is often the best thing you could do for them, and for you. Not only will you save money in the long run, you will save valuable and precious time and worry that can exhaust your non-financial resources or interfere with your job or occupation.
You should share your concerns with your parent and remain open to considering many possible solutions to this problem, including at-home solutions. Perhaps some help in the house, meal delivery services or an emergency response system could enhance your parent's ability to continue living at home. If our parent is feeing unsafe, s/he may be open to considering a new living arrangement. Unless your parent is in immediate danger, the process of selecting a new home should be a careful process.
Who should I call?
It would be best to start by setting up a meeting with Compassionate Care Senior Services. A Geriatric Care Manager would be able to help with both short-term care options for while you are on vacation as well as help you with long-term planning for your parents. Compassionate Care Senior Services offers a free initial phone consultation and will answer any questions you might have.
Compassionate Care Senior Services can act as an advocate and liaison for your mother. We will provide you with written or verbal updates of your mother’s well being. As your Geriatric Care Manager, Sherry Cole will keep you informed of unexpected events or emergencies and involve family members in any decision-making. We can also arrange for in-home services to help your mother with specific chores.
Compassionate Care Senior Services is knowledgeable about local facilities in and around the Joplin Tri-State area for senior care, can assist you with a medical assessment if necessary and will work with you to look at all your options and assist in making the best recommendations for your father. If needed, a Geriatric Care Manager may also be able to streamline the transition into or out of a senior community, for both the elderly resident, family members and staff.
A Geriatric Care Manager who is experienced in caring for the elderly can be of great help in this situation. Oftentimes, these problems arise because siblings see their parent's needs differently. A Geriatric Care Manager with Compassionate Care Senior Services can assess your parent objectively and provide valuable information about what kind of care is best and most realistic under the circumstances.
Long-term care services are defined as those that help people with chronic conditions maintain their level of functioning. Medicare does not cover these services. Long-term care services include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day care and homemaker/chore services. Long-term-care insurance can be purchased to provide coverage for these services. Some policies also cover care management, caregiver training and respite care to relieve a caregiver temporarily from the daily responsibilities of care giving. A person's individual financial situation and age will help us to determine whether long-term-care insurance is appropriate.
Medicare pays for very limited home healthcare services: primarily skilled care like nursing services or physical, occupational or speech therapy. It is a requirement that such care help the patient recover function following an illness or hospitalization and only is continued as long as the patient makes progress and is substantially house-bound. Medicare will pay for a small amount of help with activities of daily living (such as bathing and eating) for a limited time if the patient also is receiving skilled care. Compassionate Care Senior Services will advise and assist you regarding government and private insurance coverages and options.
Yes, most people with Alzheimer's disease can be cared for at home. It is essential for you to consider that your loved one may have Alzheimer's for many years and the disease will gradually worsen. Caring for a person with Alzheimer's is a marathon, not a sprint. Find enough help so that you can pace yourself for the long term. Caregivers who are unable to do this burn out or develop their own health problems. Compassionate Care Senior Services staff is well-versed in dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders and can help you explore the resources in the Joplin Tri-State area, such as caregiver support groups, adult day health programs, home healthcare, hospice care and respite services. The Alzheimer's Association offers support and information through its local chapters, and your local Area Agency on Aging can offer referrals for other support services.
According to a Harris Survey on End-of-Life Care conducted in 2002, the vast majority of Americans (86%) believe that people with terminal illness would most like to receive end-of-life care at home. Yet nearly 70% of deaths in America today occur in facilities, primarily in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Caring for a seriously ill loved one at home can be intimidating and overwhelming. Most of us have no experience or training in caring for an ill person at home. Adding to our sense of overwhelming responsibility is the rapid advance of technology, which has made the array of home-based medical interventions bewildering.
There is little doubt that, when families commit to caring for a seriously ill loved one at home, they face many challenges. These families also benefit from additional support, especially the comprehensive, holistic support offered by hospice. Hospice care is care that addresses the needs (physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological, social, financial, and legal) of a dying person and his or her family. Under certain circumstances, Medicare will pay for hospice care in the home. Compassionate Care Senior Services works closely with HYPERLINK "http://www.familyhospice.com/" \t "family hospice and palliative care" area hospices.
Everyone should have a basic will, a durable power of attorney, a living will or advance directive and a healthcare proxy statement. Compassionate Care Senior Services can assist you with these obtaining these necessary documents and provide recommendations for elder law attorneys if needed.
Geriatric Care Managers can help you save money in several ways. First, they can help to plan effectively for the future, and assist in avoiding a crisis. Second, care managers can often arrange for services to be delivered in an older adult's home rather than requiring a costly move to a retirement or nursing facility. Third, because care managers are aware of both the needs of older adults and the available resources, they can be efficient in matching service needs with appropriate agencies. Also, you can hire a care manager for a single, specific task, such as helping you find a daily caregiver, or to oversee the entire caregiving process.
It's common for an older person to initially resist outside help. Professional Geriatric Care Managers have the skills needed to develop rapport even with difficult clients. Compassionate Care Senior Services will be able to suggest several different approaches to overcoming a parent's objections.
Families who live at a distance rely on Geriatric Care Managers to provide a trusted link to their elder parents. Attorneys may use the services of a Geriatric Care Manager for a professional assessment of complex clinical situation in a home care facility or in the community. Trust officers find that a Geriatric Care Manager plays a key part in a professional assessment to assure the provision of well-targeted, cost-effective care for the elder. Physicians, and other health care professionals welcome the specialized individual services that a Geriatric Care Manager can offer to the elder and families a means to prevent clinical crises and avoid unnecessary hospitalization.