Geriatric care managers - an overview

What it is

A geriatric care manager is a health and human services specialist who works with families and others to provide caregiving assistance to those who are caring for aging adults. Geriatric care managers are experts in aging and eldercare and often come from such fields as nursing, gerontology, social work or psychology.

Whether you're trying to juggle long distance caregiving or just need advice on how to manage caregiving, a qualified geriatric care manager can be a tremendous help assessing, organizing, monitoring and managing caregiving needs. The geriatric care manager starts by meeting the older adult requiring elder care, conducting a needs assessment, determining eligibility for services, and making arrangements for those services. Other services may include interviewing and monitoring home health care workers, arranging for transportation to and from doctors' appointments, analyzing financial, legal or medical information - even overseeing a move from home to a residential facility.

What's the cost and is it covered?

Fees for geriatric care managers range from $50 to $150 per hour, depending upon their credentials, experience and location. Some charge by the hour, while others charge set fees for a package of services. The initial assessment may cost anywhere from $150 to $350 or more, depending on how comprehensive it is. After that, you and the geriatric care manager may agree on a monthly fee. It's important that you agree upon services and costs in writing in advance.

Older adults with a low or moderate income may qualify for geriatric care management through their local Area Agency on Aging. You can find your local agency by calling the Eldercare Locator at 1.800.677.1116.

How to find a geriatric care manager

You can find qualified local geriatric care managers by visiting the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers’ website at caremanager.org. On the site, you can click on "Find a Care Manager" and search for the services and qualifications of a geriatric care manager nearest you.

You can also find geriatric care managers in the phone book or online, usually under listings for social workers, nurses, eldercare or home health care. Because this service is essentially an unregulated industry, you need to check the prospective geriatric care manager's references, certification, licensure and experience. Look for individuals who have received certification in the geriatric care management field. There are three basic kinds of certification:

Care Manager Certified (CMC), awarded by the National Academy of Certified Care Managers.
Certified Case Manager (CCM), given by the Commission for Case Manager Certification.
For licensed social workers, there is the Certified Advanced Social Worker in Case Management (C-ASWCM) certification or Certified Social Work Case Manager (C-SWCM) certification awarded by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

Individuals who have received any of these certifications cite the above abbreviations after their name. They will also cite their licensed profession such as RN for registered nurse, NP for nurse practitioner or LSW for licensed social worker.

What to ask

When you interview a geriatric care manager, there are a number of important questions to ask:

What services do you provide?
What are your credentials? Are you licensed in your profession? Do you have any geriatric care manager certifications?
How long have you been providing care management services?
How long have you been practicing in this community?
Do you have any affiliations and memberships in community organizations?
Are you available to assist during an emergency? Who do you have as a backup if you are not available?
What can I expect to learn from your initial assessment? What does it include (e.g., physical and mental status, financial resources)? What are the qualifications of the person who conducts the medical component?
How do you perform quality checks on the service providers and referrals you recommend?
How do you communicate information to me and how often?
How often will you have face-to-face contact with the person receiving care?
How many cases do you handle at one time?
What are your fees?
Can you provide me with references?

The bottom line

Geriatric care managers can help you sort through all the complicated details of arranging and providing home care for an aging adult.
They can assess needs, organize home or long distance caregiving, monitor care providers and, in short, make home care as stress-free as possible.
They can even arrange for transportation and help with financial, legal or medical information - all the things you need to handle when an older adult can no longer manage alone.
The National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers' website at caremanager.org offers an excellent description of what a geriatric care manager does, questions to ask when interviewing, along with other resources and a geriatric care manager locator.