National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
A Geriatric Care Manager is a health and human services specialist who helps families who are caring for older relatives. The Geriatric Care Manager is trained and experienced in any of several fields related to care management, including, but not limited to nursing, gerontology, social work, or psychology, with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care.

The Geriatric Care Manager assists older adults and persons with disabilities in attaining their maximum functional potential.  In addition, the Geriatric Care Manager is an experienced guide and resource for families of older adults and others with chronic needs, including helping those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease or Parkinsons or exhibiting symptoms of dementia.

Geriatric care managers who are members of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) are committed to adhering to the NAPGCM Pledge of Ethics and Standards of Practice.

Long Distance Caregiving

Sandwiched between caring for their own children and their aging parents, Baby Boomers can find it difficult to do both, especially when their elder loved ones are miles away. According to a MetLife Mature Market Institute 2004 survey of long distance caregivers, those providing the care live an average of 450 miles from their aging loved ones. The story you are about to read is common:

Barbara lived alone in her own home in a town of approximately 40,000 people.  She had neither family nor friends close enough to help her as they had either died or moved away.  Her family lived in the state but with their busy lives they weren’t able to visit much and their phone calls didn’t give them the whole story.  Barbara didn’t want to worry them so she didn’t tell them that just last week she had fallen and not been able to get up until she got her breath back.  She feared telling them about the accident would make them want her to leave home. Her niece Debbie, who lived closest to her, about two hours away, had been made her guardian last year.  (Video Inset: NAPGCM President Elect Linda Fodrini-Johnson comments on caregiving, from a distance.)
 
Debbie tried to help as Barbara’s long distance caregiver, but being out of town meant not seeing Barbara’s decline.  The guardianship was granted because of Barbara’s dementia diagnosis and her need for a caregiver Debbie was working with a provider agency in the town Barbara lived in but she was still getting calls and complaints from both the agency and Barbara.  The agency would call to inform her that Barbara wouldn’t let the provider in and they couldn’t work with her without her cooperation.  Barbara would call Debbie and complain about the provider not showing up or if they did show up, stealing her things. 
 
Debbie never realized how much work it was going to take being a long distance caregiver. The calls she kept getting from both sides were starting to affect her work performance.  Her supervisor had mentioned to Debbie just yesterday that it seemed like she was making more personal calls now that she was her aunt’s long distance caregiver.   The situation was causing Debbie anxiety, stress and heartache because she wanted to be a good caregiver for her aunt but not being present was not working.  Debbie suggested to Barbara that she move to their town but Barbara wouldn’t hear of it.

If this situation sounds familiar, you are probably struggling to be a long distance caregiver.  The problems talked about in this situation are common to long distance caregivers. It illustrates value in contacting a professional.  As Geriatric Care Managers we are able to be your “eyes and ears”.  We are able to take on the problems you are called on to solve.  We work with you through phone calls, visits and emails to provide local care giving while you provide long distance care giving.  Examples of the services Professional Geriatric Care Managers provide include working with the client’s doctor, setting up and supervising services into the home, helping with daily money management. Home visits make us proactive instead of reactive.  Our goal is to keep a person at home as long as possible and then help their move when they can no longer be safe at home.  We are able to check on problems that come up with providers and work with all parties to provide the best possible care.  We don’t make your decisions for you, but we also try not to contact you at work.  Only real emergencies are handled on your work time.  The partnership that results lets you as the long distance caregiver have control but not the constant worries as to what is really going on with your loved one. 


(All names have been changed to protect their anonymity)