If you’re a family caregiver for the elderly, you carry a heavy burden and are truly an unsung hero. Caregiving is more than a job, it’s a vocation, and you likely didn’t sign up to be one.
Sometimes, the unexpected happens, and an older family member is diagnosed with an illness or has a stroke. You don’t have time to weigh your options, so instead, you decide to step in until you figure it out. What you thought would be temporary is now consuming you.
You don’t need to be the full-time caregiver of your family. You can rely on the expertise of those who specialize in elder care, such as geriatric care managers and caregivers.
In this blog, we discuss:
- What is a holistic care approach to elderly care?
- What is geriatric care management?
- What is long-term care for the elderly?
- Who to call for holistic senior care services
What Is a Holistic Approach to Elderly Care?
Taking a holistic approach to elderly care means that treatment plans revolve around the whole person, not just their physical diagnosis. Caregivers for the elderly who provide holistic senior care consider all aspects of a client’s well-being: mental, environmental, emotional, social, spiritual, as well as physical. At Stowell Associates, we administer geriatric assessments that measure these facets.
Holistic senior care assessments collect insights that can be used to improve a senior’s quality of life. For instance, an elder care specialist will evaluate how well aging adults can care for themselves and identify how much additional help they may need to lead healthy lives. The next course of action is to coordinate elder care and other necessities.
Families typically don’t understand how elder care works; however, they do know they need help caring for older adult relatives. That’s where geriatric care managers come in.
What Is Geriatric Care Management?
Geriatric care management includes a diverse suite of services offered and managed by geriatric care managers. Some primary services include advocating for seniors, assessing their well-being, and consulting with family members about their loved one’s care.
Holistic care management uses a holistic approach to elderly care (as discussed above), seeing and treating the whole person, not just their ailments.
At Stowell, our geriatric care managers develop personalized care plans for older adults and directly oversee caregivers, ensuring the Whole-person Care Plan is followed accordingly. Care plans can include both short- and long-term care options for the elderly.
Next, we discuss long-term care options.
What Is Long-term Care for the Elderly?
Long-term care for the elderly includes various services that help seniors live independently and safely when they lose the ability to care for themselves. Long-term care can be provided by unpaid family members and friends or elder care professionals, such as caregivers.
The most common long-term care option is personal care. Personal care involves helping seniors with activities of daily living (ADLs). These activities include bathing, grooming, feeding, toileting, and moving (e.g., from a bed to the bathroom).
Seniors often need to consider long-term care options when they have a chronic health condition like dementia or live with a disability. As age sets in, the frailer we get, and illnesses or disabilities worsen. Women, in particular, are at high risk for needing long-term care primarily because they tend to live longer than men.
If you’re caring for older adult family member(s) and are considering senior care options, contact a geriatric care manager at Stowell Associates for professional guidance.
Geriatric Care Management Services for Families & Aging Loved Ones
Since 1983, Stowell Associates has been dedicated to providing the best geriatric care management services in Southeastern Wisconsin.
Our geriatric care managers are registered nurses and masters-level social workers who create unparalleled, custom care plans for our elderly clients. From advocacy to advice, geriatric care managers are an invaluable resource to families of aging loved ones.
Whether you’re a family caregiver who needs guidance or are looking to replace yourself with a well-trained in-home caregiver, we have a solution for you.
In addition to providing geriatric care management, we’ve partnered with TheKey, a home care company with well-trained caregivers for the elderly ready to serve your loved one. Our geriatric care managers act as liaisons between TheKey and your family, so you stay informed every step of the way.
Call Stowell Associates at (866) 425-2180 to learn more about our short- and long-term care options for the elderly.
