Aging Life Care management, also known as geriatric care management, is a personalized approach to helping older adults and their families navigate the challenges and decisions that can come with aging.

Aging Life Care Professionals help families understand their options, develop a plan, coordinate care, advocate for an older adult's needs and preferences, and adjust support as circumstances change.

At Your Elder Experts, our Aging Life Care Managers help older adults and families navigate both immediate concerns and ongoing care needs.

What does an Aging Life Care Professional Do?

An Aging Life Care Professional helps older adults and families assess needs, solve problems, coordinate care, and plan for changing circumstances.

Depending on the situation, support may include:

  • Assessment and monitoring
  • Care planning and problem-solving
  • Education and advocacy
  • Coordinating health care and community services
  • Evaluating housing and care options
  • Supporting family caregivers
  • Helping families navigate difficult care decisions
  • Responding to a hospitalization or other crisis

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Areas of Expertise in Aging Life Care

Caring for an older adult often involves more than one need or decision. Aging Life Care Professionals bring expertise across eight key areas, helping families understand the bigger picture and coordinate support around the individual. Our Care Managers are Aging Life Care Professionals who adhere to a code of ethics and the highest standards of practice. Let’s take a closer look:
Areas of expertise of Aging Life Care Professionals

Health and Disability. From physical problems to mental health and dementia-related problems, Aging Life Care Managers® interact with the health care system effectively and frequently. Aging Life Care Professionals attend doctor appointments and facilitate communication between doctor, client, and family. These professionals help determine types of services – such as home health and hospice – that are right for a client and assist in engaging and monitoring those services.

Financial. Services may include reviewing or overseeing bill paying or consulting with a client’s accountant or Power of Attorney. Aging Life Care Professionals provide information on Federal and state entitlements, connecting families to local programs when appropriate. They also help clients and families with insurance concerns, claims, and applications.

Housing. Aging Life Care Professionals help families and clients evaluate and select appropriate level of housing or residential options.

Families. Aging Life Care Professionals help families adjust, cope and problem-solve around long-distance and in-home caregiving, addressing care concerns, internal conflicts and differences of opinion about long-term care planning.

Local Resources. Aging Life Care Professionals know the specifics of the local resources in their communities and know how services are accessed.

Advocacy. Aging Life Care Professionals are strong and effective advocates for clients and their families, promoting the client’s wishes with health care and other providers, ensuring that client’s needs are being adequately addressed.

Legal. Aging Life Care Professionals refer to legal experts, like elder law attorneys, estate planners, and Powers of Attorney. Some Aging Life Care Professionals provide expert opinion for courts in determining level of care and establishing client needs.

Crisis Intervention. Aging Life Care Professionals offer crisis intervention when it is needed, helping clients navigate through emergency departments and hospitalizations, rehabilitation stays, and ensuring that adequate care is available to the client.

Used with permission of the Aging Life Care Association.

When Might Aging Life Care Be Helpful?

You don’t have to wait for a crisis to ask for help. Aging Life Care may be helpful when an older adult's situation is becoming more complicated or your family isn't sure what to do next.

You may benefit from talking with a Care Manager if:

  • You are concerned about an older adult's safety or ability to live independently.
  • You are seeing changes in health, memory or daily functioning.
  • Your family is trying to understand care or housing options.
  • You are managing an older parent's care from a distance.
  • Family members disagree about what an older adult needs.
  • Medical appointments, services or care needs are becoming difficult to coordinate.
  • An older adult is experiencing a hospitalization, rehabilitation stay or another significant change.
  • You want to plan ahead rather than wait for a crisis.

 

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