Helping Your Parents Without Pulling your Hair Out: Hiring a Professional Geriatric Care Manager

Posted 1212 days ago by Amy Seigel RN

Amy Seigel, RN, CRRN, Certified Case Manager

Amy Seigel, RN Certified Case Manager


By Amy Seigel, RN, CRRN, Certified Case Manager

If you are a long distance caregiver taking care of your parents or other family, a Professional Geriatric Care Manager can be your local eyes and ears for the care of your parent or family member. 

What can a Geriatric Care Manager do for you?  Here is a summary of the typical steps in the geriatric care management process. Hopefully this will help long-distance caregivers to get the most value out of their relationship with a Professional Geriatric Care Manager.

Typically there are four phases when working with a Professional Geriatric Care Manager.
1. ASSESSMENT (Ask them how quickly this can be arranged)
This is where a care manager will really get to know your family member’s history and current status, and start to build a supportive advocacy relationship. You can expect that this will take us approximately 2.0 to 2.5 hours for one person, or 2.5 to 3.5 hrs for a couple, excluding travel time. Ask your Care Manager for a list of issues that will be covered during the assessment.
2. CARE PLAN (Usually within 2-3 business days after the assessment)
Your Professional Geriatric Care Manager should provide you with a formal, written care management plan. The plan is 3-4 typed pages documenting medical history, physicians, meds, dosages, frequencies, caregivers, home safety, memory status, and other areas and preferences.
Most importantly, the geriatric assessment should provide you with a bulleted list of action items – steps they will begin to take immediately to optimize health outcomes and status. This plan is your “snapshot” which you can use as your benchmark and measure progress against stated goals. Your Care Manager should review the care plan with you so that you understand the scope of the work that we will be doing and have an opportunity to clarify any questions at that time.
3. IMPLEMENTATION (Starts right away, higher activity during the first 2-4 weeks)
Your Professional Geriatric Care Manager should get right to work on the action items in the care plan. Every client’s situation is unique, so they will need to will prioritize their activity to get important issues addressed quickly. Their goal in this phase should be to stabilize the situation and help the client to improve their status.
4. CARE MANAGEMENT (Ongoing)
Once things are stable, it’s not over! This is where your Professional Geriatric Care Manager is most important. Perhaps they were consulted due to noticeable changes or a crisis situation. Their role in this ongoing phase is to provide consistent professional oversight to prevent future crises as much as possible. Your Care Manager’s trained eyes and skilled interventions will help optimize health and independence and avert unnecessary ER visits.

We hope that this helps you to better understand how to work with a Professional Geriatric Care Manager in the most optimal and cost effective manner.

About the author: Amy Seigel is owner and Director of the elder care management team at Advocare Elder Care Management, with RN Care Managers in Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami.  Ms. Seigel was voted Case Manager of the Year by her peer professionals in the South Florida Case Management Association in January, 2010.  Advocare’s team of professional Nurse Care Managers combine strong medical and psycho-social skills to advocate for elder clients and advise their families.  For more info, visit the Advocare by clicking here:  Advocare Website.

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Alzheimer’s Patients May Face Looming Shortage of Neurologists

Posted 26 days ago by Marty

With cases of dementia estimated to triple over the next couple of decades, a shortage of neurologists is definitely a serious problem for those who are afflicted. According to the following study, we are currently 11% short nationwide which is already causing delays for patients in need of an appointment and doctor oversight for their condition. Whether or not this will lead to a crisis in care is yet to be determined, but at this point, it doesn’t sound good. To learn more about how a Geriatric Care Manager can help with the oversight of an elderly loved one’s care, visit us at Advocare.

For patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) and other brain disorders, finding a specialist to treat their condition may be increasingly difficult, according to a new study.

Experts in the field of medicine that focuses on the brain and nervous system revealed that there is a shortage of neurologists in the United States as medical students and residents are choosing other more lucrative specialties. The study authors noted that patients with brain disorders who do find a neurologist would have to wait even longer to be treated.

“With the rapidly rising rates of brain diseases such as dementia and stroke at the same time as the number of U.S. medical residents choosing neurology over other specialties is clearly declining, the U.S. could face a crisis,” explained study author Dr. Thomas Vidic, with Elkhart Clinic in Elkhart, Ind.

“Our study found that long wait times for patients to see a neurologist and difficulty finding neurologists to fill vacant positions are adding to the current national shortfall,” Vidic, who is also a fellow with the American Academy of Neurology, said in an academy news release. “In addition, the demand for neurologists is expected to grow as people gain coverage through health care reform.”

The study found that demand for neurologists would outpace supply over the next 12 years. Right now, 11 percent more neurologists are needed to meet patient demands. That number is expected to hit 19 percent by 2025. By that time, the researchers project the number of neurologists will increase to 18,060 as demand for this type of specialist surges to 21,440.

As a result, patients could be waiting even longer to get an appointment with a U.S. neurologist, the study findings indicate. Previous studies have shown new patients waited an average of 35 business days to see a neurologist last year.

Continue reading HERE.

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Elderly Patients Routinely Prescribed Risky Drugs

Posted 27 days ago by Marty

For long distance caregivers, it can be particularly difficult to ensure that elderly loved ones are receiving the most appropriate medical care, including whether or not they are taking prescribed medications appropriately. As Geriatric Care Managers, we work with clients and families every day to make sure that all medical needs are being addressed appropriately and that all treatments are being followed through with correctly. To learn more about our South Florida Provider Network, click HERE. Thanks for visiting Advocare, serving the South Florida areas of Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach and more.

Doctors in the United States routinely prescribe potentially harmful drugs to older patients, and the problem is particularly acute in the South, a new study shows.

The analysis found that more than one in five seniors on Medicare in the South were prescribed medications that health authorities have specifically advised doctors to avoid giving to older patients because of their severe side effects. Compared with people 65 and older living in New England, those living in the southern region from Texas to South Carolina were about 12 percent more likely to be prescribed a high-risk medication.

The researchers suspected that factors like education, socioeconomic status and access to quality medical care might be driving some of the regional differences. And to some extent, that appeared to be the case. As socioeconomic status grew lower, for example, the likelihood of being prescribed a high-risk drug increased. But even after accounting for these factors, the researchers found that the disparity persisted.

“We can’t specifically identify the reason the southern states have these rates that are so much higher,” said Dr. Amal Trivedi, an author of the study and an assistant professor of health services, policy and practice at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School. “But I think it’s important for physicians and patients to be aware of it.”

Dr. Trivedi and his colleagues published their findings in the latest issue of The Journal of General Internal Medicine. For the study, they referred to a list of 110 drugs to avoid in the elderly, compiled by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Many of the drugs are widely used, often with few or moderate side effects in younger patients, but their risks are magnified in the elderly.

On the list are anti-anxiety medications like Valium. The drug, a benzodiazepine, can be harder for elderly patients to metabolize, resulting in the drug staying in their systems for longer periods of time. That can lead to prolonged sedation, and in turn potentially deadly falls and fractures. Because of their side effects and potential to cause addiction, benzodiazepines are not usually recommended for the elderly. But when used as a last resort, there are relatively safer, short-acting alternatives, said the lead author of the study, Danya Qato, a pharmacist and doctoral candidate in health services research at Brown.

Several muscle relaxants and diabetes medications can also remain in elderly patients’ systems for longer periods, causing a higher rate of complications.

Continue reading HERE.

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Posted in Aging, Boca Raton Home Care, Boynton Beach Home Care, Delray Beach Home Care, Geriatric Care Managment, Home Care South Florida, Long Term Care, Palm Beach Home Care, Senior Health, Senior Safety | No Comments

Exercise May Help People With Alzheimer’s Avoid Nursing Homes

Posted 33 days ago by Marty

Most people who require long-term care prefer to stay at home. For those suffering from Alzheimer’s, ending up in a nursing home is a great concern. The following study asserts that regular exercise tailored to the individual with Alzheimer’s may lengthen the ability to maintain independence. Thanks for visiting us at Advocare, providing Geriatric Care Management in the South Florida areas of Boca Raton, Palm Beach, Delray Beach and more.

Regular exercise slows disability and prevents falls in patients with Alzheimer’s disease without increasing overall costs, a new study from Finland says.

The findings suggest that exercise, particularly when tailored to an individual’s needs and performed at home, may help Alzheimer’s patients maintain their independence and delay the move to a nursing home.

“This is an important study,” said Dr. Kostos Lyketsos, director of the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center, in Baltimore. “If we could ever deliver exercise for people with dementia in their homes, I think we could accomplish very substantial benefits for patients and reduce costs, which is a very big deal … in health care these days.” Lyketsos was not involved in the new research.

Mental changes are the first wrenching signs of Alzheimer’s disease, and they often are the symptoms that get the most attention. But physical declines are also a part the disease. Over time, muscles become stiff and uncoordinated, or may start to tremor. Alzheimer’s patients may lose the ability to brush their teeth, climb stairs, and dress, feed and bathe themselves.

“These people are at very high risk of disability. That’s one of the reasons they end up in institutional care,” said study author Dr. Kaisu Pitkala, a general practitioner at the University of Helsinki. “They need so much help that their caregivers often get very tired, and after a few years they will end up in institutional care, which is very expensive and often not the wish of the patients nor the caregivers.”

Continue reading HERE.

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Posted in Alzheimer's Disease, Boca Raton Home Care, Boynton Beach Home Care, Delray Beach Home Care, Home Care South Florida, Nursing Homes, Palm Beach Home Care | No Comments

When Your Parents Need Financial Help

Posted 42 days ago by Marty

Parents and children have a difficult time talking about many things, and money is one of them, particularly when parents have aged and roles become reversed. It is important to have frank, open conversations to find where the gaps may lie, and how you can help. Thanks for visiting Advocare, serving the South Florida areas of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Palm Beach and more with Geriatric Care Management.

As parents and children age, the familiar family roles often switch. And for some adult children that can mean helping elderly parents financially.

Sandra Kiely Kolb says her father was obsessed with one wish as he got older. “His mantra was he didn’t want to be a burden,” says Kolb, 64.

So when Kolb and her three siblings decided their dad’s large house was no longer suitable, they sought a solution that would enable him to remain as independent as possible. About a year ago, with the okay of her siblings and father, Kolb and her husband, who are retired and live in Shaker Heights, Ohio, bought a condo for her father in Red Bank, N.J., a few miles from his old house.

After their dad settled in, the family put the old house up for sale. “We recognized that it would be difficult to sell the house with a 91-year-old living in it, along with two old dogs,” Kolb says. Plus, she says, the family didn’t want him stressed while the house was on the market.

The proceeds from the sale pay for caregiving and condo expenses. “I feel we’re very blessed,” Kolb says. “A lot of thought and a lot of consideration went into this.”

Kolb and her siblings spoke with their dad often before figuring out what kind of help he needed and wanted. If you think your parents could use support, it’s essential to have a frank conversation about finances. “It’s a matter of assessing your parents’ situation,” says Jim Holtzman, a certified financial planner with Legend Financial Advisors, in Pittsburgh.

Ameriprise Financial found in recent research that “all generations do a pretty bad job talking to each other about money,” says Suzanna de Baca, vice-president of wealth strategies. Some people worry such conversations will cause tension, she says, while others say they feel like it’s just not their business to ask. However, de Baca says, “The earlier you can have a conversation about money, the earlier you can identify parents’ needs and identify gaps.”

Read more HERE.

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A ‘Senior Moment’ or Something More?

Posted 57 days ago by Marty

Alzheimer’s is one of the most greatly feared diseases, and despite intensive ongoing research, there is still no cure or viable treatment. With age, there is a certain level of forgetfulness. So how can you tell if a loved one is experiencing common growing ‘old’ pains, or if it is something more?

What is Alzheimer’s? It is a progressive brain disease that damages patients’ memory and cognitive skills, ultimately leaving them unable to recognize friends and family or to care for themselves. Alzheimer’s is now the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S.

Every year more and more people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As baby boomers come of age, the number of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to reach 13.8 million by 2050. This is millions more than previously projected.

Forgetfulness as distinguished from Alzheimer’s

Forgetfulness is often a normal part of aging. Misplacing your reading glasses, forgetting names or having a lot of “senior moments” is nothing more than an annoyance for many aging adults. This is, unfortunately, not the case for everyone. If your or your loved one’s forgetfulness is compounded with such things as having difficulty completing everyday tasks, problem-solving, understanding spatial relationships or change in mood and behavior, then it may be a more serious form of memory impairment. If you suspect that you or someone you love is suffering from a form of dementia, contact your primary care physician for a screening. Medication is available to help with the symptoms and may slow the progression of the disease.

I searched a number of authoritative websites and publications for a list of things you should be concerned about. It’s cause for concern if you or a loved one:

Have difficulty learning new things

Have difficulty making change and handling money in general

Are forgetting things more often than you did last month or last year

Are forgetting how to do things you have been doing for years

Are repeating yourself over and over again

Have inability to remember what happens each day.

10 warning signs

The 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s:

  1. Severe memory loss.
  2. Difficulty doing familiar tasks.
  3. Problems talking or writing.
  4. Confusion about the time or place.

Continue reading HERE.

Thanks for visiting Advocare. We help South Florida families everyday who are in the throws of Alzheimer’s to receive the support and care they need. Our Geriatric Care Managers help area residents in Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Miami and other surrounding areas.

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