Advocare Geriatric Care Management Press Releases

In Elder Care Signing on Becomes a Way of Dropping By

Excerpted from the New York Times - February 2007

By Christine Larson

Many adult children live too far from their parents to fill that need at times. But finding help may be becoming easier, thanks to geriatric care managers, who can take on some of the higher-level care duties that home health aides do not cover, like attending doctors’ appointments or evaluating nursing homes.

Matty Bloom, for example, of Redwood City, Calif., cannot go to doctor’s appointments with her 82-year-old mother, Marilyn Bloom, who lives in Aventura, Fla., or help hire and supervise home health aides. So she found [Advocare Care Manager] Linda Lowy, a registered nurse and geriatric care manager, to help coordinate her mother’s medical care. Ms. Lowy does “what I’d be doing if I were there,” Ms. Bloom, 51, said.

Other families call on geriatric care managers for a wider range of services. Gregory Johnson, 55, of San Francisco and his siblings hired a manager to make sure all of their mother’s doctors were on the same page. The manager also helped them find an assisted-living facility for their mother, found an adult day program and helped her settle in on her first day.

While geriatric care managers can offer invaluable help to families, the industry is largely unregulated. “There are fabulous care managers out there who really know the whole system and are well trained,” Ms. Stone said. “But, buyer, beware: there is no required accreditation.” Only a few states require care managers to be licensed, although care managers who are also nurses or social workers may have state licenses.

Starting in 2010, the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers will require all its members to hold one of four specific certifications in care management or social work. Geriatric care managers usually charge $80 to $200 an hour, depending on the services provided. The managers can have vastly differing backgrounds, typically in nursing or social work. “If your mother has complex medical problems, you probably want a nurse,” said Andrew Carle, assistant professor and director of the program in assisted living/senior housing administration at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. “If she’s lonely or has social issues, a social worker might be a better fit.”

Some geriatric care management agencies employ both types of managers. Ask candidates if they have a current nursing or social work license or if they have other certifications, and be sure to check references. GCM provides referrals to members at www.findacaremanager.org.

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