The aging journey can sometimes present difficult struggles. How can you lessen the stress for you and your family?
Sandy and Roger came to see me about their parents around five years ago. They needed to move from their home of 55 years because of increasing problems with frequent falls and memory loss. We did an assessment and helped them choose a lovely assisted living apartment that could meet both of their needs. I called a few months after the move to check in, all was fine and the family thanked me for the help, saying they could handle it from there.
About six months ago the daughter called in a panic because the facility could no longer meet the needs of Dad, due to his difficult behavior and increasing visits to the ER that were brought on by falls caused by medications that he should not have been taking. In that conversation I heard of many incidents that could have been avoided had a Professional Care Manager been overseeing Mom and Dad. Mom was depressed and losing weight. She could no longer be in the same room with Dad, causing Dad to be placed into memory care and that was quite expensive; bringing their monthly care costs to over $15,000! The daughter said her parents would be out of money in less than two years at this rate.
In my assessment of all the stops on the aging journey that she and her brother shared with their parents, the siblings received lots of wrong information from those who didn’t have the skills or the knowledge to be their guide and advocate. Some of those actions caused overspending the parents’ assets, believing there was no other choice.
I was able to get the daughter to an Elder Law attorney, who helped her preserve what assets were remaining, allowing mom to stay at the assisted living facility. We were able to move Dad to a skilled nursing center that took Medi-Cal to cover his care. This could have been done about two years prior had she been working with the Care Manager throughout the journey. To further help Mom, we found some solutions that improved her memory loss and depression, getting her a much higher quality of life.
We found some other entitlements that ensured Mom could stay where she was feeling safe and cared for. Also, because Dad was now close to the end of this life we able to bring in Hospice in to help prepare the family for their loss. The daughter had no idea that Hospice could be used for someone with a dementia.
A professional Geriatric Care Manager is the conduit between all the stops on the journey. If, as a family, you want the best in quality of life for your family members who are on the aging journey – you will want the support and direction of someone who is going to be objective, pro-active and a fierce advocate. You also have to be mindful of spending and planning for the costs the future may hold.
The expense of a Care Manager could save you lots of wrong turns, resources, stress and at the same time increase the quality of life on all levels for everyone in the family as you traverse this aging journey.
Give us a call at (866) 760-1808 and start with a one hour consultation, a 30 day 5 hour care planning session or just jump on board with your Care Manager for the entire journey – it’s your choice. We have professionals on call 24/7 who have the expertise, education, knowledge and certification to be your “right hand” person.
For more information about how a care manager can be helpful for you and your family read more here…