What is a care manager?
A Care Manager is a specialist who is trained to help individuals and families who are providing or arranging for the care of a loved one experiencing sudden or chronic illness or injury, failing memory, frailty, or facing end-of-life decisions. There are many decisions and they can be overwhelming. Working with a care manager can ease your burden and help you see issues and options more clearly.
The care manager understands how to utilize the health care system to maximize benefits. Care managers are able to independently assess the individual, couple or and family situation and recommend strategies for improving the individual's quality of life.
At Care Management Associates, we use a collaborative/multi-disciplinary team approach to offer options. We look to you to outline the problems and we bring our expertise to quickly assess the various factors (medical, social, financial, geographic, cultural, spiritual) to offer the full range of solutions - from healthcare to housing - to maximize health, independence, and peace of mind.
What training do care managers have?
Most Care Managers are nurses, social workers, psychologists, all with experience in the healthcare fields. Our team's biographic information highlights our specific team members' experience.
When do I need to hire a care manager?
The decisions that families or other caregivers face can be daunting, especially if some family members live at a distance or if the person or people for whom you are trying to arrange care do not agree that they need care. Often the problems have occurred suddenly, such as an injury from a fall or a new diagnosis. There's a lot to do – often in a very short amount of time. Hospital discharges can occur far more quickly than people expect.
There are many home care companies, many assisted living facilities, rehabs, and nursing homes. People often don't know where to start. Unfortunately, making a decision that doesn't work out is costly: it's financially expensive to undo a decision, and in addition, the emotional and health costs can be devastating.
You may simply find yourself over your head with the choices or feel that there are no choices. Typically, too, you have other responsibilities that demand your attention: work, children, your own health. You may find that the problems that you or your loved ones are facing have become larger and more complex than you can comfortably manage. Even after the current situation is resolved, you may find that other demands and responsibilities are so great that you are not able to provide the desired level of supervision and attention you would like.
We can partner with you to find the best solutions, to help avoid decisions that will not offer the care your loved one needs, and -- going forward -- we can supplement the care, advocacy and supervision you are able to provide.
Do you collaborate with other professionals involved?
We will work with your family physician and specialists, physical therapist, attorney, and other trusted advisors to make recommendations on strategies and options for care. We will then help you craft a plan for putting that strategy in place.
What options can you help us with?
We know how to arrange home care and will help you arrange for the best, most qualified nursing and household staff. When home care is not a possibility, we will help you find the finest rehabilitation facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and retirement homes in the area. We can provide you with nursing home and assisted living inspection results, where available, but most important we use our real-time experiences to guide our recommendations. Our experiences with the local facilities can give you the edge in making the best placement decision for your loved one.
Our care managers have expertise in hospice and palliative care and can help the family discern among the options available for end-of-life care. In addition, we have experience in helping those with memory impairment, Parkinson's and other neurological diseases. We can recommend specific programs, from day care to facility-based care.
Who pays for the care we set up?
Some services and facilities are covered under Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, while other services and facilities are paid for out of the client's personal resources. We can outline the costs and also explain what will be covered and what must be paid for privately.
Who pays for care management?
Care management is paid privately at an hourly rate. Depending on circumstance (check with your accountant), some costs may be taken as a tax deduction. Some Long-Term Care insurance policies may pay for a small amount of care management. We are happy to discuss our rates with you.
We're flexible: you decide how much or how little of our time you need.
