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Frequently Asked Questions about Geriatric Care Management. What is geriatric care management? A service for older adults and their caregivers (typically family members) providing individualized assessment of functional ability, the design of a customized plan of care, referrals to appropriate agencies, monitoring and follow-up. How does the process work? An assessment is typically necessary for care managers to understand the environment that the older adult is living in, their level of functioning and their current support network. The assessment involves interviewing the older adult and family members, gathering relevant medical records, developing an individualized action plan and discussing the options with the older adult and caregivers. Is the scope of the assessment limited? No. Care managers are trained to evaluate all aspects of an older person's life, including legal, financial, home safety, nutritional, medical, and housing issues. The goal of the assessment is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the support required to assist older adults in functioning as independently as possible. What are the qualifications of care managers? Most care managers are professional social workers and/or registered nurses, and are licensed through their professional associations. Geriatric care managers have comprehensive assessment experience and are knowledgeable about a variety of resources in the community. Their skills include an understanding of the physical, social, environmental, emotional and financial management issues facing older adults and an ability to match individual's needs with appropriate agencies and services. Are private care management services covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance? No. Currently, care management fees are typically paid by the older adult, their estate, family members or other caregivers. Some long-term-care insurance policies cover care management services. What is long-term-care insurance? Do I need it? Long-term care services are defined as those that help people with chronic conditions maintain their level of functioning. Medicare does not cover these services. Long-term care services include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day care and homemaker/chore services. Long-term-care insurance can be purchased to provide coverage for these services. Some policies also cover care management, caregiver training and respite care to relieve a caregiver temporarily from the daily responsibilities of caregiving. Your individual financial situation and age will help to determine whether long-term-care insurance is appropriate. How can professional geriatric care management save money? Geriatric care managers can help you save money in several ways. First, they can help to plan effectively for the future, and assist in avoiding a crisis. Second, care managers can often arrange for services to be delivered in an older adult's home rather than requiring a costly move to a retirement or nursing facility. Third, because care managers are aware of both the needs of older adults and the available resources, they can be efficient in matching service needs with appropriate agencies. |
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