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How Do I Select a Geriatric Care Manager?
Introduction - Why not just rely upon the government to protect us through regulation?
This posting is written from our perspective here in the state of California.
Most people believe that the state of California licenses and oversees professional Geriatric Care Managers (”GCMs”). After all, California regulates everything , doesn’t it? You even have to have a state license to have a carwash!
Well, not in the case of professional Geriatric Care Managers. California does not provide any type of licensing, regulation, oversight, minimum standards, or any other sort of controls over the GCM industry.
In effect, the state is leaving it up to older adults and their families to protect themselves and leaving it up to them to think about all the right questions to ask and the things to watch out for. Caveat emptor!
In this article we’ll provide information about what to look for and what to watch out for so that you can make well-grounded assessments regarding the GCMs that you select to work with you and your loved ones.
What to look for in a Geriatric Care Manager
Here are the selection criteria that we recommend. You should look for professional GCMs who are:
1. Competent - they know what to do, and how to do it.
2. Trustworthy - they are reliable and keep their promises.
These are the two absolutely essential criteria.
How to proceed
Referrals from people you know are the best starting point. If someone you know gives a strong endorsement to a GCM with whom they have worked regarding their own loved ones, that is a valuable starting point.
In any event, with or without a referral from a friend, you should conduct interviews before selecting a GCM.
1. You should interview more than one prospective professional GCM (I recommend interviewing at least three) before selecting one to work with your loved ones.
2. After initial phone screenings with prospective GCMs, if at all possible conduct a final interview with your first choice in the GCM’s office before committing to beginning service.
Criteria for selecting a Geriatric Care Manager
Competence
In order to assess competence, you can look for certifications and similar devices from authoritative third parties. Such sources of assurance include the following.
Degree
Does the GCM have a degree, preferably a graduate degree, in a relevant field of study?Most GCMs have a masters degree in Social Work, Gerontology or similar fields.
Note: Sometimes nurses practice as GCMs. When you are considering a nurse who offers services as a GCM you must ask yourself whether your loved one has
- primarily medical (disease or wound issues) needs, in which case a properly qualified nurse might be a good choice, or
- primarily psycho-social needs (loneliness, socialization, advocacy, care needs assessment, gero-psychological issues), in which a social worker might be a better choice.
When considering these choices, don’t forget to include consideration of the education that the prospective GCM has completed. Many nurses don’t even have bachelor’s degrees, so be sure to ask about this. Social workers may have a bachelor’s degree but we recommend working with GCMs with master’s degrees because they have more comprehensive educational preparation for GCM work.
Membership in NAPGCM
The primary professional association for GCMs is the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (”NAPGCM”). If you are considering a prospective GCM who is not a member of the NAPGCM ask yourself why they aren’t a member and what that says about their qualifications.
Trustworthiness
There are really two main ways to assess the GCM’s trustworthiness:
Experience
How many years has the GCM been working as a professional GCM? Before that, did the GCM have other experience that is truly relevant to GCM work, such as working in a hospice organization or a geriatric medical group?
Client References
Can the GCM provide at least three client references who will attest to the GCM’s performance and reliability? If so, ask the references questions like, “Tell me about a time when the GCM really came through even though circumstances were difficult” and, “How many times has the GCM failed to keep the promises that they made to you?”
Professional References
Can the GCM provide at least three references from professionals who have referred clients or patients of their own to the GCM and who are satisfied with the results?
Interview impressions
At the end of the interview, how do you “feel” about the GCM? Although this is not a precise measurement, you should ask yourself whether someone who makes you uncomfortable or about whom you have post-interview doubts is going to be the best person to trust with the care of your loved ones.
Beware of Pretenders
One last thing to watch out for: Some companies call some of their employees “care managers” who really aren’t professional Geriatric Care Managers. Often these so-called “care managers” are people who are staffing or scheduling coordinators for non-medical in-home care companies.
Scheduling and staffing coordinators are different from true professional Geriatric Care Managers, but there’s no law preventing them from using the GCM title. When a company tells you that they provide “care managers”, ask questions using the information in this article to make sure that you know what those “care managers” really will be doing.
Summary
As you can see, there are many factors to consider when selecting a professional Geriatric Care Manager, especially in a state like California where there are no consumer protection laws that apply to this type of professional service. By following the suggestions in this article, you will be able to select a great GCM to work with in protecting your loved ones and providing for their care in the best possible way.
If your loved one is in need of professional Geriatric Care Management and lives in San Diego County or South Orange County, our company is ready to help you! Please visit our website at A Servant’s Heart Senior Care for more information, or call us toll-free at 800-777-4750 to speak with a professional Geriatric Care Manager!
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So, what is “geriatric care management” anyway?
It is very possible that some folks could find the term “Geriatric Care Management” to be sort of unappealing. After all, who wants to be thought of as:
- Geriatric?
- Needing care?
- Needing to be managed?
Someday I hope that we’ll find a better term for this profession. For now, we’ll forget about the name and talk about what it IS.
Geriatric Care Management (often referred to by its acronym, “GCM”) is a family of services in which:
- The care needs of older adults and their families are assessed by trained professionals, usually social workers, who then
- Develop care plans for the acquisition of services to take care of those needs,
- Implement those care plans,
- Advocate for the client when needed, which often occurs when other service providers are unresponsive,
- Monitor the results and make changes as needed, and,
- Report as required to family, referral sources, and other authorized persons.
This series of steps all sounds very tidy and orderly. Actually, it almost never happens that way in real life.
In fact, most GCM cases present with some acute problem or crisis which requires immediate action. After the acute problem is solved, the GCM professional may continue to be involved to monitor the client’s status and needs on an ongoing basis. Other times, the family or friends take back control of the day to day care needs of the client.
Many GCM cases arise where the older adult lives far away from his or her family or friends. Because of the distances involved, a GCM professional located near the client’s home is called upon to solve the acute problem, if there is one, and then to monitor and provide “family assurance visits and reports” on a periodic basis if so requested.
If this sounds like the sort of help that you need with your own parents or other loved ones, you can get immediate help by going to the website of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and using the “Find a Care Manager” link there to locate GCM professionals in your area.
Of course, we welcome inquiries to our own company for situations within our service area, which is San Diego County and South Orange County. You can find out more about us by visiting our website at A Servant’s Heart Senior Care. You are also welcome to contact us via comments to this article and we’ll suggest appropriate sources of help if we can.
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GeriatricCareManager - Here we go!
Thank you for visiting and reading my new blog, “GeriatricCareManager”. My wife and I are the co-founders and owners of a full-service eldercare firm in San Diego County. We help older adults and their families work through the next steps in life when the issues associated with aging become more than they are able to handle on their own. We provide this help by offering caregiver services and geriatric care management services.
I’ll be posting here from time to time regarding the everyday challenges that our clients and their families and others like them face and how to work through them, including how to identify and take advantage of resources in the community and in the private sector. My goal with these postings is to help folks sort out the issues that are most important and begin to address them before “challenges” become crises.
If you have questions or want to know more, just visit our website at www.TrustworthyCare.com
- Tim
