Geriatric Care Managers Assist Those Removed from Families

Geriatric-Care Managers Assist Those Removed From Families
Responsibilities include reviewing a patient's medical and financial status and screening for services

by Alan Macher printed in The Palm Beach Post: 11/13/02 about Source-Finders.com

Deborah Barfield's day often begins with a crisis.

"Usually, it's a phone call from a relative up North whose parent needs immediate elder-care," she said. "The relative wants quick, clear answers on how to handle the situation."

Barfield is part of a relatively new breed of professionals called geriatric-care managers. Her firm, Source Finders in Juno Beach, handles cases from Boca Raton to Vero Beach.

"Most of our clients are geographically separated from their parents," she said. "It's difficult for them to determine what resources are available and what options exist to help their parents."

Typically, a geriatric-care manager's responsibilities include:

* assessing the elderly person's health, abilities and resources, including eligibility for assistance;

* reviewing medical, financial or legal issues and offering referrals to geriatric specialists;

* screening, arranging for and monitoring in-home help or other services;

* acting as the "eyes and ears" for families at a distance, to ensure that things are going well and that caregivers are doing their job;

* assisting with moving an older person to or from a retirement complex, assisted-living facility or nursing home;

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* offering counseling and support when needed.

"Geriatric-care managers have extensive knowledge about the costs, quality and availability of services in the community," Barfield said." For the children of those needing elder-care, we provide peace of mind. For the elderly, we serve as their advocate."

Barfield, who has 15 years of experience in geriatrics and is vice president of Source Finders, said that the concept of geriatric-care management was born more than a decade ago. The service has grown dramatically in the past few years, fueled by an increase in the aging population and the complexity of elder-care issues.

Now she often gets referrals from elder-law attorneys, physicians and trust officers.

"They recognize the value of a collaborative team approach, with a geriatric-care manager coordinating the entire process," Barfield said.

Her team of care managers includes nurses and social workers. Their work also involves troubleshooting, problem-solving, and constant monitoring of services--in-cluding unannounced visits to nursing homes.

And sometimes there 's even a little detective work." We recently had a case involving a 92-year-old woman who was in a Palm Beach County nursing home. She has no children, and her affairs were managed by a court-appointed guardian," Barfield said.

As the Source Finders team began organizing boxes of the woman 's personal papers, they were surprised to discover the woman 's discharge papers from the U.S. military. Source Finders contacted the Veterans Administration to confirm that the elderly woman was eligible for additional government assistance. Source Finders was able to move her from the nursing home to an assisted-living facility, and she now receives an additional monthly stipend.

Industry-standard fees for geriatric-care management usually range from $75 to $150 an hour, depending on the service. Source Finders prepares an estimate of costs, and clients select the services they require.

"Sometimes, clients want us to manage the entire process;other times, we 'll prepare a list of recommendations, and family members will take the ball and run with it," Barfield said.

If you would like more information on this topic or you would like to have Source Finders contact you, fill in the form below and click submit and we will get right back to you.

Source Finders is a Florida professional and compassionate Geriatric Care Management Service serving Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties. Sign up for our Free newsletter to keep up to date on services and assistance for seniors.

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