2024-25 Senior Resources Northeast Directory

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C ARE M AnAGEMEnT /C ARE C OORDInATIOn S ERvICES • Determine eligibility and refer, coordinate, and monitor in home care or other services. • Provide information and refer rals to specialists in other areas of expertise • Be a liaison or “extended family” to distant or working family members or other professionals • Assist in determining, selecting, and coordinating moves to or from a single home, retirement community, assisted living, hos pital, or nursing home • Coordinate and escort to and from appointments • Review financial, social, legal, and/or medical issues and make appropriate referrals • Provide crisis assistance and intervention • Provide Caregiver Coaching, support, and education • Act as an advocate for the client regarding care, wishes, and needs • Provide client and/or communi ty education Many professionals call themselves Care Managers, but a Certified Aging Life Care Professional ® must meet requirements for education, experi ence, professional references, and certification, and adhere to strict professional Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. In looking for an Aging Life Care Manager, you may

inding the best type of person to assist you in the aging and/or caregiv ing process can be challenging, emo tional, and exhausting. This very Senior Resources Directory has an abundance of options for that purpose. However, the question commonly asked is, “Where do I begin?” or “What do I look for in this book?” An Aging Life Care Professional ® , often called a Geriatric Care Manager can help you to determine and narrow down all of these resources to the best potential options to fit your specific needs and at the best times. An Aging Life Care Manager ® is a health and human services profession al who helps Older Adults and/or their families with their care and daily living needs. Aging Life Care Managers are trained and experienced in any of sev eral fields related to long-term-care, including but not limited to nursing, therapy, or social work with a special ized focus on issues relating to aging, elder care, and/or disabilities. In addi tion, the care manager is an experi enced guide and resource for Older Adults and/or their families or other professionals. Care managers have an extensive knowledge about types, costs, quality, and availability of ser vices in their community. Thus, they are also known as The Experts in Aging Well ® . • Assist older adults and persons with disabilities in attaining their maximum functional potential and independence • Knowledgeable and objective assessment to identify needs, strengths, wishes, problems, safety Care management can include, but is not limited to the following:

want to inquire of the following: • What is the person’s educational background and work experience? How long have they been providing care management services? Why are they qualified to do this? • What are their professional cre dential/s? • Are they independent or a part of a larger organization? Are they work ing primarily for you, or the orga nization? • What are the referral relationships with other service providers? Do they accept referral bonuses? • What are the rates and billing structures? Services provided by non-professionals or for free are not always a value, as a knowl edgeable expert can save time, stress, confusion, and money by finding the best options for you. Care management is usually pri vately paid at an hourly rate, though some services are flat or bundled rates, and some long-term care insurance plans will pay for services. • What are their professional mem berships? To find a certified Aging Life Care Professional ® in your area and learn more about the benefits, refer to the Aging Life Care Association ® (formerly National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers) website at: http://www.aginglifecare.org/. Article submitted by Sue Coyle. Sue is a Certified Aging Life Care ® Manager, and is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant by background. She is the owner of Coyle Care Management and Consulting, LLC, which provides services in the Fox Valley and surrounding areas.

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