Geriatric Care and Geriatric Care Management

Geriatric care managers provide elder care or senior health care management services that help in the planning and coordination of care for elderly or disabled individuals. A geriatric care manager can help to improve the quality of life while providing the individual with a better chance of maintaining their independence for a longer time than if they were not provided with such care.


A geriatric care manager can help to coordinate healthcare, home care, psychological care and a range of social services that will help both the individual and their family with everything from financial and legal planning to keeping communication lines open between the patient, family members and the doctors or other care providers involved. Professional geriatric care managers have working knowledge of the healthcare industry, human development services and various public and private resources that help in the management of patient advocacy and care.


Services Provided by Geriatric Care Managers


Geriatric care managers provide elderly individuals or disabled individuals and their families with a range of services that can help them to adjust to the challenges of their condition whether due to age or disability. Some of the services provided by geriatric care managers include:



Benefits of Geriatric Care Management


Geriatric care management has many benefits. Most common, is the fact that geriatric care management can help an elderly or disabled individual to remain independent despite a condition or age that would otherwise prevent such independence. Geriatric care management provides quality control for the care of an individual as well as ongoing monitoring of a senior care plan.


Services that are provided by geriatric care managers are specially tailored to meet the specific needs and desires of then individual and their family members. Often times, a geriatric care management professional can help to reduce or eliminate poor communication between the patient, family members and care providers such as doctors or other medical professionals saving time and money as well as reducing stress. They can even match the services that are provided by local social service providers and geriatric care providers to the individual needs of the client.


Geriatric care managers also help to prevent crisis and they can reduce the number of unnecessary hospitalizations. They can greatly help to reduce the number of repeated services or inappropriate care provided by an institution which can otherwise become very costly to the client or the family members of the client. Overall, geriatric care managers provide a range of social services and advocacy for the patient and their family.


Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Geriatric Care Manager


Choosing a geriatric care manager for yourself or a loved one may be a difficult process but if you ask the right questions and you know what type of answers you are looking for you can make an informed decision regarding geriatric care. Most geriatric care managers are licensed to provide a specific service in their state. Many are licensed nurses or social workers that also have a diverse educational background or work experience, especially in geriatric or elder care.


Geriatric care managers do not specialize in all areas of geriatric care. When choosing a geriatric care manager, make sure that you ask questions about what type of services they specialize in and hire a care manager that specializes in services that can meet your unique needs. Additionally, if the geriatric care manager is to provide services for a disabled family member who is not necessarily a senior you will want to ask about their experience with such care and with caring for a specific disability.


Here are some questions to ask a geriatric care management professional before making a decision on the geriatric care for yourself or a loved one: