Geriatric care management (GCM), a multidisciplinary profession made up primarily of nurses and social workers first emerged as a profession about 15 years ago when experienced clinical professionals across the country began to leave traditional third party settings. Disillusioned with the large caseloads typical in non-profit and publicly funded agencies, and the limitations of third party payers such as Medicare, a group of about 100 practitioners in 22 states had begun to set up private consulting practices to help family caregivers of frail elders. They met to share ideas and to discuss how they conducted their private gerontology focused practices. The result of these early meetings led to the formation of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM).
NAPGCM currently consists of more than 1,500 professional geriatric care managers nationwide. The vast majority is in individual or small group practices. The national association exists to foster the profession of GCM through marketing, public relations, legislative activism and professional development. NAPGCM facilitates a yearly national conference, publishes a practice journal and several other publications. Additionally, individual state and regional chapters host regular chapter meetings and some also hold chapter conferences.
WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL GERIATRIC CARE MANAGER?
A professional geriatric care manager (GCM) is a human service professional who specializes in assisting elders and their families with long term care issues.
Geriatric Care Managers:
· Conduct care planning assessments to identify problems, eligibility for assistance and need for services;
Screen, arrange and monitor in-home help and additional health and mental health services;
· Review financial, legal and medical issues and offer referrals to other professionals for dealing with problems and conserving assets;
· Provide crisis intervention;
· Act as a liaison to families and long-distance caregivers;
· Offer guidance in identifying alternative housing options and facilitating transitions;
· Provide counseling, psychosocial support, education and advocacy for elders and their families.
Geriatric care managers have identified a range of effective methods for helping elderly clients.
GCM’s have learned to stay abreast of the rapidly growing and changing array of long term care alternatives. GCM’s typically identify problems that distinguish their clients such as: failing health and physical function, increasing problems with mental function and unmet need for care and assistance and often-inadequate housing. Additionally, clients commonly have either no family or diminished family involvement, some times due to estrangement but more commonly because of geographic distance in our increasingly mobile society.
The person needing care rarely hires GCM’s. They are far more likely to be retained for the client by a family member or another professional such as the client ’s attorney, trust officer or accountant.
GCM’s in well-established practices are likely to hold a masters or doctorate degree in nursing, gerontology, psychology, social work, or another health or human service field and have had at least two years of supervised experience in the field of gerontology.
SERVING THOSE WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR PUBLICLY FUNDED PROGRAMS
At all class levels, aging is a difficult process that frequently generates stress for the older person as well as for family members and others. People involved in long term care often grow quickly frustrated with the overall lack of available resources. Lower income elderly may qualify for means tested community elder services such as case management through a public or non-profit agency. Budget deficits at both the state and federal level have resulted in growing waiting lists for community based and facility based care. Those who are over income are left to navigate the complex system of elder services on their own. The children of elders who can afford to pay for a range of custodial and support services that are not covered by Medicare, particularly those who live far away, may be demanding of the physician’s time beyond the office visit. - They may have a desire to be involved and have opinions about their parent’s medical care but are unable to physically attend medical appointment with their parent.
Health care professionals, from physicians to discharge planners, are often under time constraints that do not allow them sufficient time to work help family members to explore community based resources, especially when part of the decision making process may include moving a frail elder to another community to be closer to their informal caregivers.
Two excellent resources for locating geriatric care managers throughout the U.S are the web site http://www.elderlifeplanning.com/. Information on membership qualifications and standards of practice for GCM’s contact the
National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
Tucson AZ 85716-3102
520-881-8008
http://www.caremanager.com/
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