On August 6, 2009, I contributed to a story in BusinessWeek, “The Elderly: Finding a Good Geriatric Care Manager“. What I would have wanted to add to the story is that just because someone has an educational degree or calls themselves a Geriatric Care Manager it is best to ask two important questions:
1) Is the professional a member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers at the certified level?
2) How long have they practiced as a care manager, not a nurse, social worker or other geriatric professional? Look for a minimum of 3 years before hiring a care manager.
Geriatric Care Managers have to be very aware of the health issues of aging, legal issues, family dynamics, local resources, overseeing home care and finding benefits and entitlements. This is a profession that requires critical thinking and staying as current as possible on all the issues presented to aging families. Most especially all care managers should have a good handle on dealing with dementia’s and the behaviors that challenge family members.
We can’t expect one person to know everything – but a good Geriatric Care Manager will know where or who to refer you so that you get your answers for questions outside their field of expertise.
Please see our website and look at the backgrounds of the Geriatric Care Manager’s that work for Eldercare Services.
