It should be noted that Geriatric Care Managers, now referred to as Aging Life Care Professionals, do hold to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice and our organization holds us to those standards. Further, it should be noted that for those of us who choose to join the Aging Life Care Association we must meet strict educational and professional prerequisites to become members. We have chosen to serve as Aging Life Care Professionals by building off of our extensive prior careers as nurses, licensed social workers, therapists, gerontologists. In fact in the 2014 Care Management Benchmark Study, conducted for our national association, 64.5% of those belonging to the association had their master's degrees. Education PLUS real world experience is what puts us in a position to help seniors and their families navigate the complexities of the "golden years". I will say that the figure of $9000 sounds a bit skewed, as the article noted the rates vary depending on geography. The value of using the services of a Aging Life Care Professional has been documented in numerous articles. I recommend that an individual does their research before enlisting the services of one of our professionals just as you would with any service. My goal, as well of the goal of the my colleagues, is to assist families to navigate a very complex and confusing health care system, to do all possible to provide the appropriate resources to "age in place", to empower the senior to have the highest quality of life possible. Isn't that what you would desire for yourself?
As a geriatric care manager, I have seen how these services have helped several families who may live out of state or who have a loved one with too many needs that they cannot manage themselves. Sometimes, families just need a one time assessment to get some ideas on how to proceed and then they can work from there.
The cost for a geriatric care manager ranges, but they usually charge on an hourly basis. I have heard rates from $80/hour - $250/hour depending on what part of the country the geriatric care manager works. The price depends on how much coordination and care is needed.
In the long term, geriatric care management can also reduce other costs like frequent MD visits, trips to the hospital, costs for services, etc. A good geriatric care manager can be well worth the investment.
As the one and only caregiver for my wife, I have a few thing to say about this. One why do they not know that most of a caregiver duties are to do what you can and as cheap as you can? 9000. a month is way out of reach for most of us here on the ground. I try to make our dollars reach from month to month. With gas prices being so high then getting to make doctors appointments and lab works and so on it can be very expensive for us down here in our real world.
Hi Doodley. I am very new to this site, and saw your comment. I see that you posted it on Aug. 2011, so not sure if you resolved your issue, but I do have experience with the expense involved in caregiving for an aging parent, and I do feel $9000.00 per month is outlandish, especially on top of the additional care you already have for her. What exactly does this care manager do for that price??
My mother-in-law's geriatric care manager charges $9,000 per month. And this is on top of 24/7 care with aides and 4 visits per week from a nurse. Is $9K/mo a typical rate for a GCM? It seems outlandish to me.
This is what I had to do for my mom. Everyone kept telling me that no one could force her to seek medical attention .... I finally came to the conclusion that IF I could get her to agree to go to a doctor, it didn't matter what "they" said. Unfortunately, if she knew it was coming from me, she'd resist. I found a care manager and filled her in on all of my mom's recent stuff, and then stepped back to allow her to make contact and initiate the services. My mom was very receptive, though she believes that getting rid of the POA is the goal.
I wasn't happy that the care manager wanted to charge an hour's drive time for a 27 mile trip, or that she considered e-mail time as "billable hours," especially when SHE initiated the conversation topic. However, I'm at peace knowing that if she can get my mom to the doctor when she needs medical attention, she and the doctor's will be able to evaluate her needs. It may not be the BEST solution, but in my case, it became the only viable course.
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Geriatric Care Managers Can Help Busy Caregivers
The cost for a geriatric care manager ranges, but they usually charge on an hourly basis. I have heard rates from $80/hour - $250/hour depending on what part of the country the geriatric care manager works. The price depends on how much coordination and care is needed.
In the long term, geriatric care management can also reduce other costs like frequent MD visits, trips to the hospital, costs for services, etc. A good geriatric care manager can be well worth the investment.
I wasn't happy that the care manager wanted to charge an hour's drive time for a 27 mile trip, or that she considered e-mail time as "billable hours," especially when SHE initiated the conversation topic. However, I'm at peace knowing that if she can get my mom to the doctor when she needs medical attention, she and the doctor's will be able to evaluate her needs. It may not be the BEST solution, but in my case, it became the only viable course.