ELDERCARE HELP FOR THOSE WHO DON'T QUALIFY FOR PUBLICLY FUNDED PROGRAMS-OR END UP ON WAITING LISTS WHEN THEY DO

I've now been in the professional practice of geriatric care management for more than 20 years. The profession of geriatric care management began in the late 1980's when a group of 100 highly trained professionals,predominantly nurses and social workers from 22 states gathered in New York City to talk about how we could better respond to 3 major issues.

1. A steadily growing population of elders-most of them in their 80's and 90's were in need of services such as modifications to their homes to allow them to continue to live there, and a range of social and health services such as assistance with bathing,dressing, feeding,mobility and incontinence issues, or simply standby protective supervision for those who might be physically healthy but suffered from progressive cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia caused by strokes.

2. The combined trend of woman-who had traditionally been the primary caregivers to aging parent moving into the full time work force, and "adult children" (45-65 year olds with parents who were now over age 80, living, working and raising families far from where their now frail parents were living.

3.Limited services available to help family caregivers who were "over income" and not eligible for taxpayer subsidized services, or publicly funded agencies unable to provide the level of services needed by the aging parent.

In April of this year, the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers held it's 20 aniversary conference here in Boston, and now has more than 2,000 members.

Professional Geriatric Care Managers (PGCMs) are health and human services specialists who help families care for older relatives, while encouraging as much independence as possible. The PGCM may be trained in any of a number of fields related to long-term care, including, but not limited to, nursing, gerontology, social work, or psychology, with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care. The PGCM acts as a guide and advocate -- identifying problems and offering solutions.

If you are interested in finding a Professional Geriatric Care Manager to assist in creating a plan of care for someone you know, or are interested in learning more about the profession of geriatric care management or the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, I encourage you to visit the associations comprehensive web site at http://www.caremanager.org.

I also recommend a wonderful article complete with an informational photographic slide show slide show on this subject. at http://www.forbes.com/2007/07/25/geriatrics-medicare-medicaid-pf-retire-in_sm_0725retirement_inl.html

Written by Shannon Martin, A professional geriatric care manager based in Florida the article contains much of interest to family caregivers

"As people live longer with chronic illnesses and our population ages, we all face new dynamic issues in our lives." Shannon writes, "The issues we must deal with range from locating and managing in-home care to discussing a move to a care facility with a reluctant parent while navigating the maze of Medicare and Medicaid."

"Start Talking: Start discussions about these issues. Use this article or a friend's experience as a conversation starter. Ask loved ones what they would want if they needed help.

The direct link to the excellent slide show is at http://www.forbes.com/2007/07/25/geriatrics-medicare-medicaid-pf-retire-in_sm_0726retirement_inl_slide_4.html?thisSpeed=15000.

Bob O'Toole, the editor of this blog can be reached at bob@elderlifeplanning.com