How To Evaluate a Geriatric Care Manager

WESTPORT, Conn., December 28, 2006 – Every year, millions of families rely on professional geriatric care managers (professional nurses and social workers trained in assessment, care planning, and care management of older adults) to help provide the best possible care to their aging loved ones. The first step toward enlisting the services of a professional care manager should be a careful evaluation of the individual's experience and credentials. The checklist of questions below will help you interview a care manager to determine whether she/he is suited to your loved one's needs:

		Credentials—Are you licensed by the state? What is your background? Do you have a degree? How many years of experience do you have in geriatric care management? Do you belong to any professional associations? How many clients do you have? Can you provide a few client references (names and phone numbers)?
		Services—What services in particular do you provide? Are you available 24 hours a day (by pager or telephone)? Do you perform an initial needs assessment for each client? Do you meet with family members as part of the assessment? How often do you update family members on the status of the care recipient? Can you help locate alternative living arrangements, if the need arises? Will you personally perform an on-site assessment of each potential alternative living facility? Will you assist with the actual move to a facility?
		Fees—What is your fee for an initial assessment? What is your hourly fee? What do you estimate your total average fees would be for one month?

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Media contact: Michael Civiello
LifeCare, Inc.
pr1@lifecare.com
203-291-4170