"Respite care" is a subject of previous posts. It involves providing a relief shift, so to speak, for caregivers who care for elderly people.
The subject of this post is "geriatric care managers". These are instead people who are paid hourly and generally over the long haul for representing the interests of elderly people when, for whatever reason, the most likely candidates for caregiver jobs are just not able to do it.
Geriatric care managers get paid for doing what they do. (More about what they do, below.) They are generally paid by the hour, charging a reported rate ranging from $50 to $200 per hour. Lesley Alderman, "When Elder Care Problems Escalate, You Can Hire an Expert" p. B6, col. 1 (New York Times Nat'l ed., "Business" Section, Saturday, September 26, 2009). Unfortunately, it appears that "regular insurance" does not cover their fees although perhaps "some long-term care policies" may. See id.
Services performed by geriatric case managers run along a range as large as the spread of their reported hourly rates. They may offer services connected with performing a consultation, conducting an assessment ending in a written report of what they have 'assessed,' and even services related to continuing care. These are all explored in the linked newspaper article, here, along with suggestions about interviewing geriatric case managers and exploring their association's web site at www.caremanager.org.
Free options for caring for elderly people can be explored at these web sites, for example, which are also provided in the linked article: The Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org, and the Department of Health and Human Services' Eldercare Locator at www.eldercare.gov.
There are options that do not involve pay, Insurance, or web sites. These options are not explored in the linked article. They are explored here. Consider these options for yourself and for the clients you advise who care for elderly people.
Consider becoming an advocate for the elderly person. This means becoming their representative. It involves speaking for the elderly in situations in which they are no longer fully able to speak for themselves. Depending upon the elderly person involved, keeping in mind that all people are different from each other -- and when they age that fact does not change -- such situations may involve medical treatment, living facilities, and diet/menu/eating, to list only some examples.
Becoming an advocate has its own predicates, its own requirements. First and foremost it involves learning. It is not possible to advocate successfully for someone else unless you know what you are talking about. Educating yourself involves time and effort. It is something that is not done by paying money alone, or by receiving money from an Insurance Company, or by visiting a web site. Not everyone has the time or the desire to be an advocate for an elderly person. Those that do, have a role in the life of that elderly person that not money, nor insurance, nor the Internet can ever supply.
Please Read The Disclaimer.
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