How a Geriatric Care Manager Can Make Your Family’s Life Better

Family caregivers know that navigating the journey of finding appropriate care resources for a senior loved one can feel like attempting to cross the ocean in a rowboat – blindfolded and blindsided by the buffeting waves and winds. The chances of making it safely to your destination are pretty slim without the appropriate tools, and someone to guide you in how to utilize them.

That’s where a geriatric care manager (also known as an aging life care professional) can step in and save the day. Geriatric care managers are experts in the many intricacies of aging, available resources, resolution of issues related to family dynamics, and much more.

Available for short-term consultations up through and including full-time assistance, there are several key instances when a geriatric care manager is particularly beneficial:

• Distance separates you and your loved one. Living in California while your aging parents are in Michigan, even with today’s technology, makes it difficult to ensure they’re properly cared for and safe. A geriatric care manager can provide supervision of care, frequent visitations, and help with decision-making.
• A challenging behavioral issue is at play. When an older adult is challenged by dementia or another diagnosis that causes behavioral concerns, a geriatric care manager can be an integral part of the senior’s care team, providing information on appropriate specialists and helping to find a solution to troubling behaviors, such as aggression, wandering, or sundowning.
• The senior won’t open up about health problems. Elderly parents often want to prevent their adult children from worrying, and as a result, withhold important health information – but are often open to talking with a professional geriatric care manager about their concerns.
• There are living condition concerns. For instance, if your loved one resides in an assisted living community that refuses to allow you to hire a private caregiver when additional help is needed, a geriatric care manager will have in-depth information about both the community itself and your state’s relevant laws to help mediate a resolution.
• You’re just at a loss. Determining the best care solution for a loved one can be tricky, and it’s common for family members to feel uncertain about what the best solution will be. A geriatric care manager can provide you with what your options are, and what the benefits and disadvantages may be for each option.

If you’re interested in finding a geriatric care manager to help improve care for your loved one, call on Home Sweet Home In-Home Care. Our care team is here to provide your family with the highest quality home care in Dowagiac and the surrounding areas. To learn more about the other areas we serve in southwest Michigan, please visit our Service Area page or call (269) 763-5350 in Paw Paw, (269) 849-9252 in St. Joseph, (269) 373-5444 in Kalamazoo or (269) 963-9888 in Battle Creek.