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Care Managers: When Do You Need One?

A Care Manager is like any other professional advisor-accountant, financial planner, or lawyer. They are experts on aging and its issues. A Nurse Navigator Care Manager also understands that caregiving can be stressful and can help family caregivers reduce their stress level. Think of the Care Manager as your personal aging advisor, someone you can trust and count on to be there for you, for your elder.

Care Managers are not home care aides. They don't provide hands-on care, such as helping an elder get dressed in the morning; but they do manage such care by arranging for in-home services, assisting you in selecting the best agency, making sure the service implementation goes smoothly, and checking periodically to ensure your continued satisfaction. Many family caregivers come to think of their Care Manager as a surrogate member of the family; someone who provides professional insight and who can be there when other family members cannot.

You would benefit from the services of a Geriatric Care Manager if you answer "yes" to any one of the following:

  • You're unsure whether an aging relative's behavior is due to normal aging or some more serious factor or combination of factors.
  • There's been a sudden or gradual change that has you wondering if your aging family member can continue to live safely at home.
  • You live in one area and your relative lives in another and it's hard for you to look in on her regularly and assess what's happening.
  • You must travel frequently and there's no one else to look in after your parent or other aging relative.
  • You're just worried about what to expect as you or your parents age.
  • You feel like your caregiving responsibilities are beginning to overwhelm the rest of your life, causing stress and impacting your performance at work.
  • The family is at odds over what to do about an aging parent and would benefit from the recommendations of an objective professional.

Please contact us today at 1-877-OUR NNAV (or 1-877-687-6628). We may be able to help!