By Celtic Healthcare
 
 

Long-Distance Love: Partnering with a local organization for optimal caregiving

Increased life expectancy and the mobile society in which we live have contributed to a growing number of long-distance caregivers, in particular, children trying to care for aging parents. In today's culture, it has become rather common for grown children to leave home to pursue different lifestyles and career opportunities.

It's also becoming more common for parents to move. During the past decade, the number of people 65 and older who moved from one state to another increased by approximately 65 percent. As a result of all of this movement, it's easy to see why a growing number of adult sons and daughters are discovering just how hard it is to perform various caregiving or monitoring tasks for aging parents who live hundreds or thousands of miles away.

This is just as much of an issue for the aging parents, as even the most independent person needs assistance every now and again, and many are not good judges of their own physical or mental deterioration or living situation.

An instant solution to this problem might appear to be to have the parents relocate, to bring them closer to their grown children and their families—perhaps even to have them move in. Such a decision should not be made without giving a great deal of thought to the consequences. Moving away from one's community at a later stage of life can lead to feelings of isolation and disorientation. In addition, unless there is sufficient help available, having a parent come to live with a caregiver can be completely disruptive to life's everyday routines and rhythms. What first seemed like a great idea can turn into an insurmountable challenge, adding avoidable stress to multiple parties.

Given this, sometimes it works better for both the long-distance caregiver and parent to add an additional, local caregiver to the mix. These caregivers are known as geriatric care managers. A geriatric care manager is a professional (generally a licensed social worker, psychologist, or nurse) who specializes in assisting older people and their families with long-term care arrangements. It is also helpful to utilize a geriatric care manager who is affiliated with a home healthcare organization that provides the full scope of home healthcare services—from medical nursing to rehabilitation—in the event that additional care is needed.

Geriatric care managers provide individualized professional consultation services to families dealing with the often challenging task of providing care to elderly loved ones, especially when over long distances. Some of the services provided by a geriatric care management service may include:

  • Assessment and evaluation of specific needs and living arrangements

  • Coordination and oversight of home healthcare, community
    programs, private-duty services and other resources to keep clients
    safe and healthy in the comfort of their homes

  • Assistance with the adjustment and placement of an older adult
    to or from a home, facility or hospital

  • Medical monitoring with ongoing reassessment at each visit to
    alleviate potential problems and provide intervention before a
    medical crisis occurs

  • Medication management

  • Health education, patient advocacy, counseling and emotional support

  • Nurse availability for medical appointments, hospital and
    emergency room visits

  • Assistance in obtaining medical equipment

  • A referral network and coordination of health, community,
    financial and legal issues

  • Professional placement services in all types of facilities

  • Serving as a medical advocate for clients while admitted to inpatient
    facilities and hospital

  • Assisting clients and their families in coordinating discharge plans from
    inpatient facilities (hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers)

  • Guardianships and Power of Attorney services

  • Acting as a liaison between all parties including long-distance
    caregivers

  • 24-hour availability and crisis intervention for clients

Celtic Healthcare is a full-continuum home healthcare services provider with an extensive service area platform from northeast Ohio to Carlisle, PA. If you are in a long-distance caregiving situation, it may be time to learn more about local assistance. For more information on Celtic Geriatric Care Management, please call 1-800-355-8894 or visit www.celtichealthcare.com.