Geriatric Care Management: “A Well-Kept Secret”

Geriatric Care Management:“A Well-Kept Secret” Mary Faith Ferretto, LCSW-C, C-ASWCM 9/2/10

GCM’s can assist: • EAP professionals • HR department staff • Employees: • Adult children of disabled parents • Spouses of disabled spouses • Parents of disabled adult children

Tasks GCM’s can perform: • Full assessments with plans of care, • Consultation with family caregivers, • Care coaching PRN. • Also can make referrals, • Complete forms, • Help narrow down resource options • - cont’d

Tasks (cont’d) • Explain entitlement programs, • Recommend best services for the need, • Offer stress management help and moral • support, opportunity to “vent,” • Refer to other professionals for their • expertise, • Be a “hub” on the wheel of caregiving • issues and plan of care.

A GCM can be a: • The “quarterback” • A “tackle” • The “coach” • The “owner” of the team. • Many hats worn to assist both the family/ caregiver as well as the client/patient. Flexibility is a key- • Short term or long term services.

Workers have stress- • They have difficulty taking time off of work for loved one’s appointments; • They don’t have time to do the research; • They can’t afford to take time off without • pay to do the above; • They may also have other family members for whom they are responsible. • May be difficult to provide hands-on care.

Caregiver stress looks like: • Health issues • Depression • Poor work performance • Missed days • Difficulty working with the team on the job • Mood changes • Substance abuse

GCM’s can: • Save time by cutting through the maze of • services out there; • Save $$ by saving time; • Answer questions, • Make referrals, • Be the “bad guy”; • Help with decision-making, • Make up a “short list”. - cont’d

Also can: • Facilitate family meetings to help achieve • consensus with hard decisions; • Advocate in care plan meetings. • Step in and be a “buffer” to “dilute” the • tension.

Other types of clients: • Client lives here, family is out of town; • A trust from relative assures quality of life; • No family to help; • Less-than-functional families: • Denial • “Old baggage” • Exploitation/abuse

Common Scenarios • Senior lives alone, safety issues; • Senior has crisis, declines quickly; • Dementia, a long journey; • Long-term care planning; • Family education ahead of need; • Running out of $$ for LTC; HELP! • Moving to assisted living, nursing home, • family’s home.

Service settings: • In client’s home; • In GCM office; • In assisted living apartment; • In skilled nursing facility; • Long distance, or around the corner; • In rehabilitation facility; • In hospital;

Helpful Resources: • Guide to Retirement Living- • www.retirement-living.com OR • www.ProAging.com • www.caremanager.org • www.midatlanticgcm.org

Mary Faith-ism’s • “Timing is everything” • Planning ahead makes a better decision; • Waiting for the crisis makes for a poor- • quality decision; • “I’ll risk you being mad at me if it’s for • safety or health”; • “Err on the side of caution” • You must take care of yourself so that you can take care of your loved one. (Oxygen mask theory)

Contact Info: • Mary Faith Ferretto, LCSW-C, C-ASWCM • (410) 661-6720 (O) • (410) 274-5889 (C) • maryfaith@ferrettoeldercare.com • Thank you for your kind attention. 

Geriatric Care Management: “A Well-Kept Secret”