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How Can a Geriatric Care Manager Help My Aging Loved One?
Navigating the challenges of aging can be stressful for older adults and their caregivers. Geriatric care managers support and direct older adults and their family members as they plan and arrange care. These care managers are also sometimes known as aging life care managers.
What Is a Geriatric Care Manager?
Geriatric care managers can organize and manage care when family members are overwhelmed or live too far away to assist their loved ones. When family members live apart from their older loved ones, the geriatric care manager can check in on them and keep track of their ongoing needs.
Aging life care coordinators can have backgrounds in various fields related to aging, such as nursing, psychology, or social work. Since they have professional experience working with older adults, they have insight into the kinds of issues affecting people as they age. Their role is similar to professional patient advocates, but they focus on helping older adults coordinate elder care.
What Do Geriatric Care Managers Do?
Geriatric care managers guide individuals through many aspects of care, the following among them:
- Performing assessments highlighting unmet needs to determine care requirements.
- Supporting patients in creating short-term and long-term care plans. For instance, if your loved one has been diagnosed with a progressive disease, such as dementia, their needs will change over time. You might need to arrange for future care when their ability to live on their own declines.
- Helping individuals find services that fit their needs and selecting an appropriate assisted living facility, nursing home, or in-home service.
- Arranging medical visits as well as transportation.
- Providing legal, financial, and medical referrals.
- Arranging respite care when primary caregivers need to temporarily step away from their duties.
- Responding to caregivers’ and patients’ questions.
- Explaining complex and emotionally challenging topics, such as planning for long-term care for individuals with dementia.
- Aiding with communication and cooperation in instances when multiple family members work together to assist an older adult.
- Identifying social service programs for older adults who are eligible.
Paying for an Aging Life Care Manager
Most individuals pay for geriatric care management services out of pocket. Insurance rarely covers aging life care coordination.
- Neither Medicare nor Medicaid covers aging life care managers, as geriatric care managers do not directly provide medical services.
- The majority of private insurance policies, including Medigap and Medicare Advantage, do not cover senior care coordination.
- However, some employee assistance programs cover aging life care management fees because caregiving can affect employee productivity.
Geriatric care managers can be expensive. However, they provide valuable services for older adults and their families, lessening caregivers’ responsibilities and providing access to information family members could lack. These aging specialists can also be invaluable for those without close family or friends willing to assist with coordinating elder care.
Finding Geriatric Care Management
Before hiring an aging life care manager, take time to do your research. Determine whether the elder care specialist or agency can provide the kind of guidance and level of interaction you seek.
- Consider whether they are licensed and how long they have been providing services.
- Also, assess whether they are available round-the-clock for emergencies or limit their availability to business hours.
- Ask about their communication style. How will they share information?
- What is their payment structure? How much do they charge per hour?
For questions and help finding a reputable geriatric manager and other long-term care health services, contact the elder law attorneys at Kommer Bave & Ciccone LLP.
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Medicare Open Enrollment
The Medicare Open Enrollment Period started on October 15th and ends on December 7th. This open enrollment period allows all people with Medicare to be able to review and update their Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage to better meet their needs. The changes made during this enrollment period take place effective January 1, 2025.
During The Enrollment Period You Can:
- Join, drop, or switch to another Medicare Advantage Plan (or add or drop drug coverage).
- Switch from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan or from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare.
- Join a Medicare drug plan if you are in Original Medicare.
- Switch from one Medicare drug plan to another if you are in Original Medicare.
Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D
There are a number of different options to consider when signing up for Medicare. Medicare consists of four major programs:
- Part A covers hospital stays
- Part B covers physician fees
- Part C permits Medicare enrollees to receive their medical care from among a number of delivery options
- Part D covers prescription medications
You become eligible for Medicare Part A at age 65. If you are currently receiving Social Security benefits, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B effective the month you turn 65. If you do not receive Social Security benefits, then you will need to sign up for Medicare, which automatically enrolls you in Part A. Medicare Part D (an optional coverage offered to everyone with Medicare) helps pay for prescription drugs. Since Medicare generally only covers 80% of your medical costs, it is recommended to obtain a Medigap (or supplemental) policy to cover the remaining percentage.
For more information on Medicare, and to compare plans, visit Medicare.gov.
