Putting up holiday decorations involves quite a process. Checking the hanging ornaments to make sure they’re not broken and making sure there are enough hangers are the easy tasks. The really complicated effort — besides making sure there’s color balance around the tree — is checking and stringing the Christmas lights. We won’t count “building” the 7 foot artificial Christmas tree; I saved the directions.

Things tend to be easier when you plan ahead.

Once, many years ago, I was in a hurry to get my Christmas decorating done. I grabbed strings of lights out of the directions box, connected them, wrapped them around the tree, and then plugged them in to view my handiwork. Parts of the tree weren’t twinkling.

I checked the plugs, hoping that maybe one of the strings I’d joined wasn’t completely plugged in, but I knew before I checked. The problem was a bulb on one of the many strands that were now twisted and looped around my tree. It would take forever to figure out the exact cause of the problem. Besides, I had other things to do.

I was in a hurry, but I couldn’t leave those dark holes in my tree. I went to the nearest store which was, of course, out of the lights I needed. Luckily my next stop had them in stock – and on sale. I grabbed more than I needed (just in case) and headed home to finish decorating. In case you’re wondering, I just turned all the lights on and wrapped new strands where the tree was dark. There’d be time for all that unwrapping when I took the tree down.

What do Christmas lights have to do with anything?

Most people who have experienced the joy of hanging Christmas lights have, at some point, experienced the frustration of plugging in a string and having only half of the bulbs light (hopefully before hanging them). There’s nothing like strands of colored lights to teach the importance of planning and preparation. Plugging in the strand of lights before you hang them or wrap them around your tree just makes sense. Taking a few minutes before the year’s end to check the status of the other lights in your life makes sense, too.

Some of these suggestions might seem obvious, but take a moment to think them through. Sometimes in the busyness of everything else the obvious is overlooked. So check your lights – literally and figuratively.

Flashlights, Nightlights, and Candles

• Make sure you and your loved ones have flashlights and other lighting for emergency situations.
• Check the batteries and bulbs to make sure they’ll light when needed.
• Make sure everyone knows where to find flashlights and is able to get to them.
• Candles aren’t necessarily the easiest or the safest option for emergency lighting. If you do keep them (for flashlight backup), make sure to check lighters or matches for ease of use.
• Create an emergency light kit that you leave out for any caregivers or visitors so they don’t have to go hunting for light in an emergency.
• For everyday living, check darkened rooms and hallways and install light or motion sensitive nightlights as needed.

Light Switches and Fuse Boxes

• Make sure everyone knows where light switches are, especially people who are just moving in or are visiting.
• Consider eliminating light fixtures that require special “tricks” — like the lamp that stays switched on but only lights up if the wall switch is flicked.
• Make certain that lamp switches can be easily manipulated by anyone who needs to use them. Large replacement switches may be substituted for regular switches if you don’t want to replace a lamp.
• Show family members and caregivers where the fuse boxes are and instruct them in their use.

Your Loved Ones

• Check in with loved ones who don’t live with you and make sure they have contingency plans for emergency situations.
• Make sure everyone who does live with you knows what to do in case of an emergency.
• Take a close look at your older loved ones and see if all of their needs are being met.

Association may help to defeat procrastination.

So there’s the point of this post. Whether or not you celebrate or decorate for holidays, associating Christmas lights with other lights can be a good practice, like changing the batteries in smoke detectors when we change our clocks. We should all make checking our preparedness a regular habit. It’s time to check your lights.

Some resources for emergency preparedness

Disaster Preparedness – A Servant’s Heart Senior Care
Safety for the Elderly (checklist) – International Association of Home Inspectors

Some thoughts on Christmas lights

Christmas Lights Community – Blog of an organization for Christmas Lights enthusiasts
Christmas Lights Advice – Blog for “Tips, Tricks and Articles about Christmas Lights”

Some thoughts on other issues in the sandwich generation

The New Old Age – Tips for Multigenerational Households
Time Goes By – What It’s Really Like to Get Older

With A Servant’s Heart Senior Care, older adults and their families can navigate through the next steps in aging with expert advice and assistance. Whether it’s providing caregivers so that your loved ones can remain at home, resolving an immediate crisis, help with finding an appropriate retirement home or assisted living facility for them, or just providing expert answers and advice and looking in on your loved ones from time to time to make sure that they’re ok, our full-service, CAHSAH-certified company can help.  For more information call us toll-free at 800-777-4750 today!

Originally posted 2008-12-19 01:07:45.

The post Check Your Lights — 13 Safety Tips for Families appeared first on A Servant's Heart In-Home Care.

• The Key to Alzheimer’s
• Protecting Elderly Against Financial Abuse
• Grandparents as Parents. Welcome to the 21st Century!
• Aging Society Requires More Gerontology Specialists
• The Gender Disadvantage Preventing Independent Living
• Technology and Aging Gracefully
• Video Games Not Just For Kids
• The Rise of Robotic Caregivers
• Virtual Visiting
• Beep Beep! Try This Locating Device!
• Man’s Best Friend and the Difficulties of Aging
• Feline Vet Emergency Assistance
• National Family Caregivers Month

Greetings From A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions!

In this month of Thanksgiving, A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions wishes to extend early holiday greetings to you and your friends, families and co-workers. Our commitment to bringing you the latest and most important news in home care, home health care and elder care news continues. We recommend that you share this newsletter with others who might also be interested, and we thank you for your continued attention.

Please enjoy these articles in the spirit of community in which this newsletter was sent.

The Key to Alzheimer’s: Recognizing Symptoms and Seeking Early Detection

In a new online survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by the Alzheimer’s Disease Screening Discussion Group (ADSDG) titled, “Alzheimer’s Disease: Current Attitudes, Perceptions and Knowledge,” it is reported that nearly 95% of the survey participants agreed they would encourage a loved one to seek early diagnosis if they suspected signs of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

However, the report goes on to state that of the 34% who previously thought a loved one had the disease, only about one-quarter prompted that person to take an AD screener test, and less than 40% encouraged initiating a conversation with his or her doctor.

Given the rise of AD as the baby boomer population ages – up to 16 million are estimated to have the disease by 2050 – these new survey results are particularly important. The ADSDG encourages everyone with a loved one age 55 and over to visit http://www.seethesigns.com if symptoms are suspected. The link has resources to learn more about the disease, its signs and symptoms, and has an online memory screener one can complete on behalf of a loved one.

Signs & Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

• Problems doing simple tasks, such as getting dressed
• Difficulty talking with others
• Trouble with knowing the time, date, or place
• Poor judgment, such as going out in the cold without a coat
• Trouble solving problems
• Losing things, such as keys, more than usual
• Changes in mood and behavior
• Forgetting both recent and past events

Looking Out for the Elderly with Financial Abuse Training

It is estimated that over 80% of incidents affecting millions of seniors who are the victims of financial exploitation each year go unreported. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C. have passed laws that require bank personnel to report suspected cases of elder financial abuse and hold banks liable should they fail to report suspicions of elder financial abuse. Another 33 states recommend that bank personnel report those suspected cases.

The Banker’s Academy is now offering training to bank personnel through a new program, Focus on Elder Financial Abuse, that teaches bank employees how to recognize the signs of elder financial abuse, in order to better protect customers.

For a full demonstration of Focus on Elder Financial Abuse contact the Banker’s Academy online here or call (888)-433-2666.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A 21st Century Common Family Scenario

Now there is help for grandparents who are the surrogate parents to their grandchildren. A new audio tape series written by Nancy Kropf, PhD, from the University of Georgia’s School of Social Work is a series of 8 tapes, each containing a conversation. Some of the topics covered on the tape series are:

• Taking care of your health
• Being involved in relationships with family and friends
• Addressing your legal questions and concerns like custody, guardianship, or having a will
• Finding resources in the community for you and your grandchild(ren)
• Making the best of your relationship with your grandchild(ren)
• AND, taking care of yourself

View http://www.isd.uga.edu/production/letstalk.htm to order. For more information call CTL at 706-542-3456.

Gerontological Certifications Meet Demands of an Aging Society

Because the population of the United States is growing older, the increasing numbers of elderly persons will mean an increasing demand for individuals with the skills and insight gained from training in gerontology. 350 college and university programs now belong to the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and offer a special course of study in addition to a traditional discipline resulting in a “certificate.”  Visit their Web site for more information.

Women at Distinct Disadvantage in Managing Independent Living as They Age

A new Web-based tutorial from the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Health Care and Long-Term Care Policy: Concerns Facing Older Women,” notes that older women are more predisposed to having limitations and needing assistance with activities of daily living as they age. This tutorial states that of the 65 and older population, women comprise the majority of home health users – 68% – and not only because they live longer on average than men. The Kaiser tutorial notes that almost one-quarter of older women have a cognitive or mental impairment.

The tutorial states that women are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to managing independent living as their health deteriorates because although there are about twice as many women over age 85 than men, women are twice as likely as men to be living alone in senior years. Due to lower average incomes during their lifetimes, significantly more older women have incomes less than $20,000 per year. Those factors make the costs of long-term care a particular burden for older women.

The free online tutorial is narrated by Alina Salganicoff, Vice President and Director of Women’s Health Policy for the foundation, and available free online here.

Webcast Resource – How Technology Can Help Aging Gracefully at Home

Parks Associates, a research firm, is featured in this Webcast, which outlines the latest information on the adoption of assistive technologies such as motion-detection sensors, health vital sign monitoring and medication compliance monitoring.

Parks Associates’ research shows that advanced health technologies will help senior citizens live more independently at home, perhaps more worry-free for their loved ones and with capabilities to be “always-in-the-know” for their caregivers. This Webcast features Harry Wang, Director of Health and Mobile Product Research for Parks Associates, and invited guest speakers who analyze the market needs and interest in these aging-at-home technologies, assess their market-readiness, and discuss current and future service and revenue models.

Find out more here.

Video Games Not Just For Kids!

Nintendo has infiltrated the senior activity world with Wii. The buzz about Wii is spreading rapidly as it is not just a gaming console, but the device provides a reason to get together with friends and family to play today’s hottest video games. Seniors can enjoy electronic virtual sports like bowling that they can play by using subtle body movements, thus providing exercise as well as socialization. Want to get in the game? For more information visit http://www.nintendo.com/wii or ask your grandchildren.

Meet Your Robotic Caregiver, uBOT-5!

A new robotic assistant, uBOT-5, can call 911, remind people to take medications and navigate around the house to look for them by electronic command. Among other capabilities, it can carry a 2.2-pound package in its raised arms and offer a virtual visit with a grandchild via a computer screen. Doctors can conduct house calls through the uBOT-5’s secure Internet connection. The robot can even apply a digital stethoscope to the patient, relaying important medical information.

However, the uBOT-5 is not yet on the market. It was developed by researchers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and built to fill the specific need of acquiring, transporting, and placing objects — otherwise known as “pick-and-place” tasks.

Visit their Web site for more information, photos and details.

Virtual Visiting: Remote Safety Testing

Managed from a remote Web site, ConnectR can be told to navigate through a house to see if residents are safe. Other features: it allows real-time virtual visits with family and pets. A national testing program is being conducted now. For ConnectR’s progress in getting the product to retail, go to www.irobot.com.

To sign up for information, click here.

Beep Beep: Let Me Help You Find Your Glasses and Slippers

My name is Loc8tor, and I am an electronic device that is handheld and can help you locate items using radio-frequency identification tags attached (at a maximum range of 600 feet).

Visit their Web site for more information.

Man’s Best Friend Suffers from Aging Problems Also

These common problems that affect aging pets are offered with solutions that might help:

• Dementia: Most pets suffer mild to severe dementia in their geriatric years. Drugs like Anipryl (selegiline) can be effective, as can behavior modification techniques your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist can prescribe.
• Arthritis: Weight loss for the heavy to obese among us is imperative to arthritis patients of any species. But pets won’t lose weight if the pain keeps them from moving about. All arthritic pets will improve with pet-specific pain relievers, but be careful; individual tailoring of these drugs is a requirement.
• Blindness: A large percentage of aging pets suffer cataracts. If caught in time, vision-saving cataract surgery can be done at a veterinary ophthalmologist’s practice. Ask your vet for a referral. Other highly treatable conditions such as ”dry eye” can also cause blindness. Diligent care will typically prevent vision loss in these pets.
• Deafness: As with blindness, loss of a sense gives dementia a boost. That’s why it’s important to keep tabs on a pet’s hearing and let your vet know if it’s declining. While veterinary medicine has no good solution for most age-related hearing conditions, careful owners will help their pets adapt to this loss with a stricter routine and training solutions vets can recommend.

To learn more about keeping aging from affecting your pet’s quality of life for as long as possible, visit http://www.dolittler.com/ (a blog for pet lovers).

Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program

This month we’re bringing you information about our favorite pet-related charity, the Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program, also called FVEAP.  We encourage you to visit their website at http://www.fveap.org.  FVEAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable corporation. It is managed by a Board of Directors, each one of whom is committed to the welfare of all animals, but especially cats and kittens. Each of them has experience with rescue and Trap, Neuter & Return programs. The Chief Executive Officer is a volunteer who has experience as a no-kill animal shelter director and who manages the routine affairs of the FVEAP.   Please visit their website and keep them in mind for your annual donation plans!

MISSION

FVEAP is committed to HELPING YOU HELP YOUR CAT. The life of every cat and kitten is precious and the FVEAP members believe that it is their

mission to ensure that none die due to lack of financial ability to get necessary veterinary care.

GOALS

1) Provide immediate (within 24 hours) decision and response to assistance requests

2) Require minimum procedures and paperwork to get assistance

3) Provide comprehensive help to solve the problem through financial assistance, information and/or referral.

National Family Caregivers Month

Visit A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions for more information and to download our free resources.

For more ideas on ways to research and make wise choices, we recommend the following resources:

Respite Tips for Caregivers

Brochure that encourages informal caregivers to consider using respite services and offers suggestions about ways to make their respite time most effective.

WebMD’s Caregiver Burnout Symptoms

Learn to recognize the symptoms of caregiver burnout through advice from WebMD.

Help Guide: Understand Respite Care

Learn more about the different types of respite care.

Celebrate National Family Caregivers Month

There are many ways to celebrate family caregivers and to take action and communicate the important messages of NFC Month. Check out these ideas and guides to help you create a successful National Family Caregivers Month in your community.

Taking Care of YOU: Self-Care for Family

An informative guide with valuable tips for keeping healthy while delivering care to others.

Achieving Emotional Distance from Overwhelming Caregiving Responsibilities

Learn a strategy to help a caregiver deal with feelings and be objective in providing daily care over the long-term to a loved one.

Workplace Programs for Family Caregivers

Provides information on workplace programs for family caregivers.

Family Caregiving Statistics

Great statistics on family caregivers and family caregiving, provided by the National Family Caregivers Association.

Tips for Surviving the Stressful Holiday Season

Here are some helpful tips from AlzOnline for surviving the stressful holiday season.

FAQ’s on Caregiving

Informative FAQ’s on caregiving from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Strategies for Employers to Support Working Caregivers

AARP offers information and retention strategies for employers to support working caregivers.

An Online Resource and Community for Family Caregivers

Strength for Caring is an online resource and community for family caregivers, helping them to take care of their loved ones and themselves.

An Interactive Social Networking Community for Caregivers

Revolution Health has developed an interactive social networking community for caregivers to meet others who share their interests, goals, challenges and more.

Originally posted 2008-11-01 13:22:34.

The post Newsletter – November 2008 appeared first on A Servant's Heart In-Home Care.

• CAHSAH Certification!
• Boomers and Today’s Landscape
• Another Reason to Love the Treadmill
• A “Living Habitat” for Seniors
• A Blog Not to be Missed
• Concerns Rob Caregivers of Sleep
• Katie’s Law Introduced in Texas
• Depression Masking as Dementia
• Did You Know?

Greetings From A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions!

With October comes the inevitable changing of the seasons. The trees are illuminated in seasonal beauty and the temperature is starting to drop, harkening the onset of cooler days and nights.

At A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions, this newsletter is our commitment to bringing you the latest and most important information in home care, home health care, and elder care news. We hope you will enjoy these articles in the spirit of community in which this newsletter was sent.

A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions – one of the first to become CAHSAH Certified!

The California Association for Health Services at Home (“CAHSAH”), is a statewide home care association and the primary advocate of home care services for the western United States. Founded in 1966, CAHSAH has a long tradition of service to the home care industry and to the public. CAHSAH’s mission is to promote quality home care services and enhance the overall effectiveness of its members.

Currently the State of California does not provide any type of licensing or regulation over the home care industry. Additionally there are no certification standards that a Home Care Aide must meet in order to work in home care settings. CAHSAH has stepped in to fill this void by implementing an industry wide certification program for the benefit of all older adults and their families. All home care organizations are encouraged to participate in this new certification program.

A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions is pleased to announce that it is one of the first Home Care Aide Organizations to be certified by CAHSAH. We strongly advocate that all providers meet the certification standards set forth in the CAHSAH certification process in an ongoing effort to improve consumer and caregiver safety and protection.  For more information see our website at:

https://trustworthycare.com/2008/09/11/cahsah-home-care-certification/

and the CAHSAH website at:

http://www.cahsah.org/membership/hcacpagency.asp.

How Boomers are Reshaping the Landscape Today

According to a recent study, by 2030 more than six out of every 10 boomers will be managing more than one chronic condition. Meeting that and other future healthcare challenges “will require more resources, new approaches to care delivery and a greater focus on wellness and prevention,” the report says. One out of every four – 14 million – will be living with diabetes. One out of every two – nearly 26 million – will be living with arthritis.

An aging population also presents opportunities, however. Two of the fastest-growing occupations in the U.S. today are personal- and home-care aides as well as home health aides. Between 2006 and 2016, the number of people working as home health aides is expected to grow by nearly 50%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the full report, “When I’m 64: How Boomers Will Change Healthcare,” go to this link and download.

Jump on the Treadmill to Rewire Your Brain and Improve Fitness!

It is most typical for stroke patients to be told to “learn to live with” their disabilities, unlike heart attack patients and others who are often prescribed lifestyle changes and exercise programs to help recover function. According to recent research at Johns Hopkins published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, people who walk on a treadmill even years after stroke damage can significantly improve their health and mobility, changes that reflect actual “rewiring” of their brains. The study’s results suggest that patients’ brains may retain the capacity to rewire through a treadmill exercise program months or years after conventional physical therapy has ended.

Most stroke rehabilitation programs focus on short-term improvement, ending just a few months after a patient has had a stroke. Consequently, over the following years, patients’ functional improvement plateaus and their fitness often wanes, a factor that could increase the chance of a second stroke.

Hoping to find evidence that improved brain activity was responsible for the results, the investigators analyzed the brain scans and found markedly increased metabolic activity in brainstem areas associated with walking among all the treadmill exercisers.

Those patients with the most improvement in walking showed the strongest change in brain activity, though the researchers don’t yet know whether these brain changes were caused by more walking or whether participants walked better because brain activity in these key areas increased. This question will be the focus of a future study. Read the entire article here.

Creating a “Habitat for Living” for Seniors

William H. Thomas, M.D., switched to geriatrics after working in a nursing home in 1991. He found that “…their problems didn’t have to do with their medications. Their three biggest problems were loneliness, helplessness and boredom.”  This fall he is teaching “Aging 100: You Say You Want a Revolution,” for freshmen at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Erickson School on Aging, Management and Policy.

Thomas and his wife, Judith Meyers-Thomas, started the Eden Alternative, which began by bringing parakeets into patients’ rooms in one nursing home, a program that has now been introduced into more than 300 nursing homes in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. The idea is to make long-term care settings for older people more like gardens – habitats for living things – rather than sterile medical institutions. For the complete article click here.

A Conversation with Cancer

Leroy Sievers, in his blog on his own experience with cancer, writes, “After that day, your life is never the same.” ‘That day’ is the day the doctor tells you, “You have cancer.” Every one of us knows someone who’s had to face that news. It’s scary, it’s sad. But it’s still life, and it’s a life worth living. “My Cancer” is a blog that was Sievers’ daily account of his life and his fight with cancer.

No Sleep for Those Who Care for Persons with Dementia

Results of a recent study show objective and subjective differences in sleep patterns of older adults with and without caregiver status. A study in the August 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that the sleep patterns of older adults who live with and provide direct care during the night for a person with dementia are significantly worse than other older adults without caregiving responsibilities.

When sleep was measured objectively, and after adjusting for depressive symptoms, age, health condition and education, adults who take care of a person suffering from dementia took longer to fall asleep and had less total sleep than non-caregivers.

The most surprising finding of the study was that the caregiver group took a longer time to fall asleep, which is consistent with the greater worry and concern that caregivers may have.

Other measurement tools used in the study included daily sleep diaries, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Fatigue Severity Scale. Participants were also assessed for depressive symptoms.

For the full article, click here.

If You Are Old and Drive in Texas – Beware: the Eyes of Texas Are Upon You

There are 483,730 drivers 79 and older in Texas, about 3 percent of the state’s registered motorists. An analysis of Texas traffic data from 1975 – 1999 by AAA showed drivers age 75 and older are 2.38 times as likely to be impaired by illness or another physical problem when involved in an injury crash.

A new Texas law affecting older drivers is “Katie’s Law”, named for a Dallas teenager, Katie Bolka, who died in June 2007 in an accident with a 90-year-old woman who sped through a red light and slammed into Katie’s driver’s-side door. The Texas law requires motorists age 79 and older to renew their licenses in person and undergo a vision test. Starting at age 85, drivers must renew every two years, instead of every six. Also, if office staffers observe the driver having shaking hands, trouble answering questions or other red flags, they can require a road test or ask for input from onsite medical examiners.

Chicago lawyer David Rosenfield, who advocated reforms like Katie’s Law in a paper for The Elder Law Journal, says the older drivers “…are far and away the most dangerous drivers on the road” on a per-mile basis.

Read the full story here.

Depression Masking as Dementia

Visit A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions for more information and to download our free resources.

For more ideas on ways to research and make wise choices, we recommend the following resources:

National Memory

National Memory Screening Day is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to promote early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses, and to encourage appropriate intervention.

A Servant’s Heart Care Solutions is an official site participating in National Memory Screening Day.

HelpGuide

Includes a scale to differentiate between depression and dementia and how to receive help.

Mayo Clinic

Provides information about treatment options for both Alzheimer’s and depression.

MedlinePlus

Interactive tutorial that is a self screening tool that can be used to assist in determining if depression is present and how best to proceed if it is.

Alzheimer’s Association

Provides an informative comparison of Alzheimer’s and depression.

National Guideline Clearinghouse

Information from a study describing characteristics that increase the risk of depression and some recommended tests for screening.

American Academy of Neurology

Downloadable guideline from the American Academy of Neurology entitled “Screening and Treatment for Depression, Dementia, and Psychosis with Parkinson Disease.”

Mental Health America

Provides concise facts on depression in older adults, as well as links for more information.

Dementia.com

The link for free access to Medline search, the National Library of Medicine’s search service that provides access to over 11 million articles.

Did You Know?

• Aging seniors and the disabled have a right, spelled out in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision of 1999, to enjoy care services in the least-restrictive environment possible. Oftentimes, that means at home rather than in a nursing home.
• According to AARP, 59 percent of people older than 65 are living on a fixed income.
• Roughly 7 out of 10 people living with Alzheimer’s disease are living at home and receiving 75% of their care from informal care partners.

Originally posted 2008-10-01 13:45:27.

The post Newsletter – October 2008 appeared first on A Servant's Heart In-Home Care.

First of all, let’s deal with the name itself, “Geriatric Care Management”.

To tell the truth, we don’t really like the term “Geriatric Care Management”.  After all, what client wants to be thought of as:

• Geriatric?
• Needing care?
• Needing to be managed?

Nonetheless, the term is an industry standard and so for now we’ll stick with it.  Perhaps some day we’ll find a better term for this profession. For now, we’ll forget about the name and talk about what it IS.

So, What Is Geriatric Care Management?

Geriatric Care Management (often referred to by its acronym, “GCM”) is a set of services performed by trained professionals, usually social workers or nurses.  Those services include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Assess the care needs of older adults and their families.
2. Create care plans for the acquisition of services to take care of those needs, subject to agreement by family members or trusted advisors such as elder law attorneys or trustees.
3. Implement the care plans.
4. Advocate for clients when needed, which often occurs when other service providers or are unresponsive,
5. Monitor the results and make changes as needed, and,
6. Report as required to family, referral sources, and other authorized persons.

This series of steps all sounds very tidy and orderly. Actually, it almost never happens that way in real life.

In fact, most GCM cases begin with some acute problem or crisis which requires immediate fixing and action.

After the acute problem is solved, in most cases the family chooses to have the GCM continue to be involved to monitor the client’s status and needs on an ongoing basis. Occasionally, though, the client’s family or friends resume control of the day to day care needs of the client and the GCM is not involved after that unless a new problem arises.

Most GCM clients are older adults who live within the GCM’s service area and whose family or friends are either:

• Not living nearby and therefore are not able to help as much as they would like to, or
• Working full time and therefore not able to help as much as they would like to.

The family or friends ask the GCM to begin providing GCM services to solve the acute problem, if there is one, and then to monitor and provide “family assurance visits and reports” on a periodic basis if they so desire.

Advocacy

Note number 4 in the list above, “Advocate for the client when needed, which often occurs when other service providers are unresponsive”.  Although this may not sound important, it can sometimes be critically important when considering the needs of elderly persons.

Many seniors are too “polite” to be assertive and insist upon the service and attention to which they are entitled. This often occurs in medical settings where the staff is overwhelmed with large numbers of patients and demands for their time.

It can happen in other contexts as well, such as when dealing with insurance companies or governmental agencies, where the staff attends to the needs of the “squeaky wheel”. This outcome may not be intentional, but it nonetheless does happen and results in the senior being marginalized and the senior’s needs being neglected.

An experienced professional GCM is able to recognize such situations. The GCM can take charge of the situation and make sure that the client’s needs and concerns are taken care of in an appropriate and timely manner. That is what “advocating for the client” means.

Should You Wait Until A Crisis Before Contacting A Geriatric Care Manager?

No!  Many times, that is what families do, but, No!

When a situation reaches the crisis stage, it may be impossible to completely undo the damage that has been done.  For example, it may be difficult or impossible to overcome or recover from for the effects of:

• Falls
• Inability to call for help when needed
• Changes in condition that are not detected promptly
• Theft by dishonest friends, family members or caregivers
• Accidents arising from driving when the person is no longer safe to drive

Even if the physical effects of some problems can be reversed, the emotional and financial consequences are often never completely overcome.

Therefore it is best to anticipate problems and avoid them or plan for them before they occur.   This is exactly what we mean by “assessing care needs” and “creating a care plan”.

How is Geriatric Care Management Paid For?

Most GCMs charge for their services on an hourly fee basis.  Usually, GCM services are privately paid for “out of pocket” by clients and their families, because they are not covered under health insurance or Medicare.  In some cases, long-term care insurance policies may cover part of the cost of GCM services, but that is not always the case.

Summary

Professional GCM services can be a valuable source of help for both crisis resolution and for ensuring that the long-term care needs of older adults and their families are taken care of in a thoughtful and thorough manner.  Professional care managers who are experienced and educated in the needs of older adults can help families anticipate and avoid breakdowns and minimize costs of care through needs assessment, planning and monitoring.

We welcome the opportunity to help you and your loved ones within our GCM service area, which is North San Diego County. You can find out more about us by visiting our website at A Servant’s Heart Senior Care.

About Us

With A Servant’s Heart Senior Care, older adults and their families can navigate through the next steps in aging with expert care and advice while enjoying The Servant’s Heart Difference.

Whether it’s providing caregivers so that your loved ones can remain at home, resolving an immediate crisis, help with finding an appropriate retirement home or assisted living facility for them, taking them to the doctor, or just providing expert answers and advice and looking in on your loved ones from time to time to make sure that they’re ok, our full-service, CAHSAH-certified company can help.

For more information call us toll-free at (760) 744-8200 today!

Originally posted 2008-05-25 10:28:20.

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