FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is a Geriatric Care Manager?

1. What is a Geriatric Care Manager?

A geriatric care manager is a professional who specializes in assisting older people and their families in meeting their long-term care arrangements.

Geriatric Care Managers develop an individualized care plan, providing for immediate support and long term needs. Care management may locate and arrange for services, screen and assist in hiring providers for home care, financial and legal services, home maintenance, meals, transportation, pet care and other services. Care managers may accompany clients to medical appointments, will coordinate services, monitor health and other care providers, periodically reassess the client and are available for telephone assurance. All this is in an effort to maximize independence and autonomy and make it possible for adults to stay at the least restrictive level of care, often in their own homes.

2. Why would I use a Geriatric Care Manager?

You have serious concerns about a frail or disabled adult and need information and assistance to ensure safety, independence and quality of life. You have no family living nearby. Geriatric Care Manager's are here to help. Not as a replacement for family, but as an extra member on whom you can rely to advocate for you. A professional who knows how to determine needs and link you to appropriate services to make for peace of mind.

3. 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.

4. When is Geriatric Care Management needed?

Geriatric Care Management is needed when an adult is faced with decreased capacity to function due to complications of aging, illness, disability, altered cognitive status and/or a loss of social support systems.

Geriatric Care Managers provide assistance when time and stress in providing care for a family member may conflict with the caregiver's work, family or other obligations. Care management can be an essential link in the chain to assist long distance caregivers.

Short-term/long-term support for clients and caregivers may be needed to assist in decision-making and problem-solving life issues such as: changes in physical and mental status, chronic illness, grief and loss, retirement, widowhood, relocation, family conflict, care for a family member.

5. How does one pay for Geriatric Care Management Services?

Most Geriatric Care Managers provide private care management on a fee for service basis but you will want to ask ahead of time about billing fees. There is usually an hourly rate for care management services. Fees are stated in written form and approved by the person accepting responsibility for payment prior to initiation of services.

6. What are the qualifications of care managers?

They have a bachelor's degree or higher in gerontology, social work, nursing or counseling. Many are certified and members of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Case Managers (NAPGCM).

7. 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.

8. How can professional Geriatric Care Managers save you 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.

Can You Tell Me What A Geriatric Care Manager Can Do For Me?

A geriatric care manager is a professional who specializes in assisting older people and their families in meeting their long-term care arrangements.

Geriatric Care Managers provide assistance when time and stress in providing care for a family member may conflict with the caregiver's work, family or other obligations. Care management can be an essential link in the chain to assist long distance caregivers.

Short-term/long-term support for clients and caregivers may be needed to assist in decision-making and problem-solving life issues such as: changes in physical and mental status, chronic illness, grief and loss, retirement, widowhood, relocation, family conflict, care for a family member.

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.

How Will I Know if I Would Benefit From Geriatric Care Management Services?

Are the problems that you or your loved ones are facing becoming larger or more complex than you can comfortably manage?

Are other demands and responsibilities now so great that you are not able to provide the desired level of supervision and attention to your loved one's problems?

Are you spending your free time:

• Doing grocery shopping?
• With housekeeping & laundry?
• Assisting your loved one with personal care?
• Overseeing medication?
• Researching senior living options, medical supplies or equipment
• Accompanying your loved one to doctor appointments or ER?

Do you have concerns about:

• Your loved one’s ability to drive.
• Your loved one’s safety when alone in the home.
• Your loved one’s healthcare and medical compliance?
• Is your concern for your loved one’s well-being preventing you from enjoying your vacations or being productive at work?

If you answered yes to more than three of the questions, you could benefit from our Geriatric Care Management Services

If you have serious concerns about a frail or disabled adult and need information and assistance to ensure safety, independence and quality of life or if you need assistance and do not have family living nearby -

Please contact Knox Care Management at (866) 323-2566 or  info@knoxcaremanagement.net

Why Should I Pay for a Geriatric Assessment

An initial needs assessment is performed to identify the needs and capabilities of an elderly individual. The underlying goal of Knox Care Management is to promote dignity and respect and make a positive difference in the lives of area seniors and their families.

Over the course of 1-2 visits to your loved one's home, we can conduct a comprehensive geriatric assessment.

We report back on the strengths and weaknesses of the current situation. Looking at family resources, we can recommend options based on your loved one's preferences and budget. We can also give you a general sense of how things are likely to evolve over the next 6 months. This way you can make decisions within the context of a longer term perspective.

You or your loved one may need only an assessment and recommendations for addressing issues of concern. Many of you may need ongoing care management. You may choose to have a care manager visit periodically to monitor upcoming changes. Others may want the care manager to manage all the service needs of their loved one so they have no worries.

The certified geriatric care manager conducts the interview in the home of your loved one and it includes:

• Evaluating the physical, mental, emotional, and social needs of the elderly client.
• Assessing the physical capabilities, including mobility and ability to function in the home.
• Evaluating the mental and emotional status including the individual's memory, ability to make appropriate decisions, and care for himself/herself on a daily basis.
• Determining if the elderly person is able to manage his or her finances or needs assistance.
• Assessing cognitive brain function of Alzheimer's and other dementia patients.
• Assessing the elderly adult's interests and social support network. A support system of family and friends enhances the quality of life of aging individuals
• Conducting a home safety check to identify potential hazards

When you are facing the complex world of elder care, a professional care manager is always recommended. We can provide you with an informed evaluation, unbiased recommendations and ongoing coordination, guidance, support.

Who uses Geriatric Care Management Services?

• Families and Individuals

• Bank Trust Officers

• Physicians and AlliedHealth Professionals

• Attorneys

• Hospitals

• Social Service Providers

• Senior Housing Communities.

How can Knox Care Management can help you to help your clients, patients, residents & congregation?

• Attorneys - If you are working with elderly clients regarding Power of Attorney, Living Will and/or Health Care Surrogate issues and questions arise regarding long-term care concerns, sometimes family dynamics require assistance from an outside party that specializes in professional Elder Care Consulting.

• Financial Planners &Trust Officers – Have you been working with a client for many years and now notice a decline in their cognitive, physical and social well-being? Do your younger clients talk about the problems they are facing with their parents? An assessment from Knox Care Management can help identify problems and provide solutions.

• Physicians – Do you have patients who are soon to begin or have already begun the cycle of doctor's visits, hospitalization, rehab, home, doctor’s visits, hospitalization, rehab, home…? Is there concern that the next time they will not be able to go back home? Knox Care Management can assist with the communication and continuation of care that may help prevent the next crisis.

• Facility Directors – Do you have residents that need additional assistance with personal needs or communicating with family and physicians, emotional support and adjustment issues? A referral to Knox Care Management can help bridge the gap when family lives too far away.

• Ministers – Are the members of your congregation predominantly elderly? Are they facing overwhelming issues related to health, aging and long-term care and coming to you for advice on the many options and services available for seniors? Contacting Knox Care Management can help you navigate the complex healthcare and social service system.