If you’re a family caregiver, you know what it’s like to carry the weight of responsibility for your aging parent’s health and wellbeing. In the beginning, you may have assisted them with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, eating, and moving around.
However, as their health deteriorates, care needs increase.
At some point, your loved one’s needs will exceed your ability to care for them. The question becomes, what now? Geriatric care managers are the ones who can give you answers, provide resources, and support you as you make difficult decisions for your aging loved one.
But who are geriatric home care specialists? Are they the same as a home care manager? Will they provide geriatric care at home for my aging parent? Who can I contact for geriatric help?
In this blog, you will learn who geriatric home care specialists are, who they’re not, what they do, and how you can connect with them.”
In-home elder care solutions in Southeastern Wisconsin
Who Are Geriatric Home Care Specialists?
Geriatric home care specialists are also referred to as elder care specialists or home care managers. The terms are different but their roles are the same. In short, care managers help family members of aging adults navigate elder care at all levels. Here are two primary roles that they hold:
- Support and resource families in a way that empowers them to make informed decisions regarding their aging loved one’s care.
- Improve older adults’ quality of life.
Geriatric Care Manager Job Description
To accomplish the second objective above—improve older adults’ quality of life—elder care specialists have a variety of responsibilities. It’s nearly impossible to list everything a geriatric care manager does, considering not all of it is tangible. They truly become anchors for families who feel like they’re over their heads caring for elderly loved ones.
In an effort to describe part of the role home care managers play in the lives of families and their aging loved ones, here are some services they provide:
- Healthcare coordination
- Creating holistic care plans
- Family relationship intervention
- Senior housing and relocation services
- Supportive consulting and crisis management
- Specialty care (e.g., dementia, Parkinson’s, palliative)
- Acting as a liaison for families who do not live near their aging loved one
- Advising families and providing them with elder care resources and options
Now, one important thing to note is that geriatric home care specialists do not provide geriatric care at home for older adults. In-home caregivers are the elder care professionals who provide geriatric help to aging and/or ailing adults in their place of residence.
At Stowell Associates, we offer geriatric help in the form of geriatric care management. However, our partner, TheKey, provides in-home care services to the elderly in order to provide a holistic care experience.
How to Find a Geriatric Social Worker
There aren’t specific licensing requirements to become a geriatric care manager. However, professional geriatric home care specialists usually obtain graduate degrees in social work, gerontology, and nursing.
Having said that, “geriatric social worker” may not be the best term to search for if you want to find an elder care specialist. Whether a geriatric home care specialist has a degree in social work, nursing, or something else, their role in the life of your loved one and family is the same.
No need to get technical on the titles.
Learn more about the differences between case management for seniors and care management for seniors here.
Stowell Associates: Southeastern Wisconsin’s Geriatric Home Care Specialists
Caring for an elderly family member is taxing both physically and emotionally. When you pile on the daily tasks of your own life, you can see why family caregivers often become overwhelmed and burnt out.
Don’t care alone. Reach out to Stowell Associates.
At Stowell, we’re geriatric home care specialists you can trust. Our expert home care managers are registered nurses and master-level social workers who create tailored care solutions for older adults and their families.
We treat your family like they’re ours. Not only do we support and equip you, but we’ve also joined another home care company, TheKey, to provide families access to experienced in-home caregivers.
Contact us today to learn more about how both in-home care and geriatric care management can relieve your burden and improve your loved one’s quality of life.
In-home elder care solutions in Southeastern Wisconsin
