| Geriatric Care Managers Lead Highly Skilled Teams |  |
| Geriatric Care Managers Lead Highly Skilled Teams | |
 |
Caring from the Heart |
|
 |
by Rona S. Bartelstone, LCSW, BCD, CMC, C-ASWCMRecent articles in the media have been focusing on the eventual need to place a loved one in a nursing home as if it is inevitable. Don’t buy into that misconception! For most people, moving to a nursing home is a fear that isn’t real. While there is definitely a need for nursing homes, only about 5 – 7% of older adults live permanently in a nursing home. Many of these are people who have limited financial and family resources. Others will be in nursing homes for limited periods of time for rehabilitation that will enable them to return home after a time limited stay. So what happens to people who need care and want to remain in the community? How do families support their loved ones and help them to maintain some measure of control and dignity? Elder Care is Different from Child Care When families are caring for young ones there are many resources to help them find the best resources for childcare, education, health maintenance, recreation, clothing and other supplies. There are also people to help with the critical decisions of care, whether it is your peers, parents, pediatricians, educators, tutors or other experts. One of the seminal differences between childcare and eldercare is that children, by definition need to have decisions made for them. Elders, on the other hand, have a lifetime of experience, knowledge, independence and the ability to be in control of their own lives. We don’t want to give up that control or have others take over our lives just because we have some functional changes, or worse just because we are older! When it comes to caring for elders, therefore we can’t make decisions for our folks. We need to make decisions with our parents. Even when parents have dementia, they need to be included in the process of making change in order to mitigate the sense of loss and change. But the issue is really how we can support parents and loved ones, while dealing with our mutual grief, loss, fear and a history that didn’t always lend itself to mutual problem solving. A subset of this question is how can we make good decisions about care when our perceptions are different, and we don’t have full knowledge about the issues, or the private and public resources? Families Caring for Families It is the desire to guide the process of elder care that has led to so many new enterprises that are attempting to address the issues of family caregiving. But new enterprises can’t just be businesses. They have to be highly committed, mission driven organizations staffed by experienced and knowledgeable professionals. Care support programs must be high touch, not just high tech. Guiding and giving care to adults who are attempting to maintain dignity and independence must be guided by ethical principles and a respect for the individual culture, resources and dynamics of each family. Therefore, these emerging businesses are seeking ways to define caregiving in non-threatening and euphemistic terms. At Rona Bartelstone Associates and now at SeniorBridge, a primary goal is for our professional family to help care for your family. Living from the heart is a natural part of how we support families to meet their own goals, just like our client story this month. We hope that you will find heart in the challenges of caregiving and in the opportunities to grow beyond the pain of loss. |
About SeniorBridge
Why put the care of your loved ones with SeniorBridge? Our company’s unique approach addresses the total well-being of clients and their families through a comprehensive program that includes assessment, planning, service coordination, advocacy, and direct care by an interdisciplinary team led by a geriatric care manager. Read More About Us |
|
|
|
|
|
