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Who Are You Going To Call?

Welcome to the December edition of Aging and Still Engaging, provided by the SLO County Commission on Aging (SLOCOA). This month’s column is written by local Professional Care Manager Cheryl Kippen, MS, who has served the Central Coast for 15 years, and addresses a serious issue that can overwhelm or devastate seniors and family members. Fortunately, help is available and well worth seeking. What, you may ask, is a professional geriatric care manager and how can they be of assistance? According to Cheryl, those in the industry have been educated in various fields of human services — social work, psychology, nursing, gerontology — and trained to assess, plan, coordinate, monitor and provide services for the elderly and their families. Advocacy for older adults is a primary function of the Care Manager.

Fees for these services vary by region and firm, but here on the Central Coast the average hourly rate is approximately $80 per hour. There is usually an initial assessment fee of $350 for a 90- minute in-home interview with the client and concerned family members. This assessment provides valuable information about current levels of functioning, medical background, medications, others involved and how the client defines their current needs. From this information gathered, the care manager develops a care plan with specific goals and community resources, which is included with the assessment fee.

A professional care manager can be an invaluable resource to seniors desiring to age in place at home, and during the transition from independent to assisted living. Your local care manager knows the options of care available and can estimate applicable costs. While finances often drive the decisions about in-home care versus transferring to assisted living facilities, having professional consultation helps educate all those involved about the various alternatives. Family members usually have many questions as they seek to help their aging parents, but most have little experience navigating or even knowing what resources are available. Having a care manager to discuss their concerns and needs saves time and money in the long run.

A relationship with a professional geriatric care manager can also allow the offspring of the elderly person to continue in that role, while someone else manages the situation. When a son or daughter is providing the hands-on care to the parent, the quality time they have to be there emotionally for their parent is limited. The care manager can handle the difficult interpersonal issues, address the immediate problems, remain connected once the crisis passes and intervene as the situation requires. Caring for aging parents can be a daunting challenge, but professional help is available and well worth the investment. For more information contact the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers for a registry of certified care managers at www.caremanager.org.

San Luis Obispo County Commission on Aging invites the public to join us at the Veteran’s Hall on Grand Ave. in San Luis Obispo on Friday, January 20, 2017 from 10 a.m. – Noon. Our presenters that day will be from Senior Legal Services and CAPSLO Senior Services For more information about the Commission on Aging, visit www.slocounty.ca.gov/coa.htm, or call 235-5779.

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