GERIATRIC CARE MANAGER

Some of the information for this paper is excerpted from “Geriatric Care Managers: A Profile of an Emerging Profession Research Report” at the AARP website, www.aarp.org/research/work/employment/aresearch-import-768-DD82.html.

• Services -   Services provided by geriatric care managers may include care planning assessments, physical assessments, coordinating medical social, psychological and legal services, eligibility screening for assistance and entitlement programs, monitoring health care, medication management, acting as a liaison to families, assisting with moves to and from homes and nursing facilities, assisting with processing medical bills and insurance claims, assisting with money management and guardianship issues, and advocating for services.
• Fees - Fees vary. Some programs provide case management for no fee. The Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (http://www.ct.gov/dss/cwp/view.asp?a=2353&q=305170) may provide the service for no fee or for a sliding fee.
• Finding Services
• People with low incomes may be able to obtain some services from a government or human services agency for little or no expense, for example local senior centers, the regional Area Agency on Aging, town social service departments, and Visiting Nurses Associations.
• People who are not eligible for government or private programs may be able to acquire some services piecemeal from family members, friends, financial planners, attorneys, doctors, nurses, social workers or home health agencies.
• Finding A Geriatric Care Manager
• A good place to begin a search for information on geriatric care managers is the website of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, www.caremanager.org.   This website provides a link to the above search tool and provides a list of care management resources with links to organizations that offer information on care giving or care giving services for older adults.
• Connecticut Community Care (CCCI) provides care management services for elders who are eligible for the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders and for elders (or family members) who can self-pay.
• Some of the regional Area Agencies on Aging in Connecticut have a geriatric care manager on staff.   All five Area Agencies on Aging offer help in locating care managers and care management services within their region.
• Nursing homes and home health agencies sometimes have geriatric care managers who can assist families with the appropriate services.   [Some have suggested that it may be a conflict of interest to offer both care management and a direct service, such as assistance with daily activities.]
• Not all care managers provide all care management services or provide all services with uniformity.   For example, a care manager with a nursing background may not focus much on money management; a care manager with a financial planning background may not focus much on health assessment.   Family members should be aware of the specific needs of their elder and select a care manager with those needs in mind.

TO FIND PROVIDERS IN CONNECTICUT'S COMMUNITY RESOURCES DATABASE:
Search by service name:
Case/Care Management for Older Adults.
Searching by that Case/Care Management will locate providers that offer care management services for elders, but will not locate individuals that are certified as geriatric care managers.