What Geriatric Care Management Means to a 20-year-old

When you get that call at 4 in the morning that your eldest relative, 95-years-old, is being taken to the hospital, you want to be sure that someone you trust is going to be able to take care of her. You want to be able to get up, make a cup of coffee and think, "I can't do anything more and she's in good hands." If you're 180 miles away, you want to know that someone can be there to hold her hand, someone she's grown to love and trust over the past few years. You don't want her to be frightened, and you want her to have a reassuring voice asking, "How are you doing right now? Do you need anything more?"

There is no need to worry about fighting with the doctors or trying to translate "doctor speak." You will receive immediate updates as they come in, be called every hour to check in, and when you arrive she will be there to help you through things as well. There's no substitute for the relief that someone else can be there for your elder family members when you can't physically be there, and knowing that that someone is a person who your family member is able to trust is truly priceless. You know that she will be there to help you, will cancel all other appointments on her schedule to be there for you when a crisis arises (even if it happens in the middle of the night). This person is Lisa Krauss for my family, and I don't think that we could ever do without her, especially in great times of need such as this.

Most everyone has an elderly person in their lives who they see might need some extra help or guidance. Not a lot of people know about the option of Geriatric Care Management. Although I've worked with Lisa for the past year professionally, my personal experience working with her as our family GCM for the last 2 1/2 years has been all I needed to appreciate her and the services she provides. If you're located in Connecticut and would like to find out more about Lisa, visit her website or her blog. If you've connected with this and would like to find a GCM elsewhere in the country, visit the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers to find a care manager. The thing that I want to take from my experience with Lisa is passing on the knowledge that there are options when you reach a point where your parents or older loved ones need assistance; you don't have to handle this difficult time in life alone.

So, I will put this question out there: How many people feel the same way as I do? Did you know about Geriatric Care Management before reading this post?