Evaluation

A Geriatric Care Manager (GCM) must first evaluate and assess an older person's needs, including physical and mental health, family and community resources, physical environment and finances. The importance of an appropriate living environment cannot be overly emphasized. Will the client have the kind of services, companionship and environment that she or he wishes to have? The Geriatric Care Manager must understand the people he or she is working with, what their values and expectations are, and come to each situation with no prescribed answers.

Plan of Care

It is the Geriatric Care Manager's job to make certain the client has what he or she needs to remains safe and comfortable. A plan of care needs to be developed based on a close assessment of a client's requirements. Arrangements need to be made to implement that plan.

Once these arrangements are in place, the Geriatric Care Manager can coordinate all services to insure the client's health, safety and general well being. Often, there needs to be a continuous monitoring and periodic reevaluation to make changes as needed.

A Geriatric Care Manager can simply advise a family on resources and help develop a plan of care or can come in as a long-term member of the care team to monitor its ongoing effectiveness.

Who Contacts the GCM?

Often Geriatric Care Managers are brought into a situation by an adult child, spouse or other responsible person because there has been a crisis or change in health status or the time has come to plan for the future. Sometimes the older person who is aware that the daily tasks of life have become overwhelming will initiate the first call. Whether it is a bank manager concerned about a customer or an apartment manager, or a lawyer concerned about his client, the first call is usually from someone who is expressing real concerns.

Flexibility

Developing a care plan and putting it into place can be a short-term process if there is family willing and available to do the follow-up work. When no family lives in the area, however, the process tends to be ongoing. Each situation is different, and a Geriatric Care Manager needs to be flexible in working with individual families who have their own needs and concerns.

Trusting Relationships

Families have different expectations about Geriatric Care Managers as well. It is your responsibility to make sure that whomever you hire understands your expectations and that you understand theirs. There needs to be a trusting relationship in order for the plan of care to work. A trusting relationship is at the core of any plan for long-term care.