As baby boomers begin the journey into life’s later years, they look forward to more time to spend with family and friends, more opportunities for travel and leisure, and more time for activities that bring them personal fulfillment. They will find that as their age increases, so does frailty, and often the complexity of their healthcare. Baby boomers will also find that the healthcare system is more complex than ever before.
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Life Care Management Looks at a Person Holistically
Health makes up only part of an individual’s overall well-being. A person’s happiness, living conditions, and finances all contribute to a well-rounded quality of life. As Life Care Managers, we consider all aspects of a person’s life when helping them plan for the future.
Our process starts with an assessment to understand the client’s medical, environmental, psychosocial, and financial needs. The Managing Director and Registered Nurse Advocates have specialized training to help them fully assess the client’s situation and determine the services that will enable that individual to live the fullest possible life.
The Managing Director is the foundation of the Life Care Management team. The Managing Director oversees each client’s case to ensure the plan of action is being implemented appropriately and consistently in accordance with the client’s wishes. To handle the client’s day-to-day needs or if the client requires assistance with their finances, our Personal Needs Coordinator is the skilled expert who handles these matters for our clients. To meet the medical needs and navigate the healthcare challenges our clients face, an experienced Registered Nurse will act as our client’s patient advocate. In addition to serving as a patient advocate, our Registered Nurse Advocates are often called to perform various assessments. These assessments can range from cognitive assessments to safety assessments to medication assessments. We currently have 35 assessment tools available to help our clients maintain their independence and quality of life for as long as possible.
Life Care Management Assesses Home Safety & Living Environments
One of our most important responsibilities to our clients is ensuring their living arrangements meet their needs and are safe. During an environmental assessment, we determine the client’s optimal living situation by evaluating their mobility, physical strength, cognitive ability, and other factors to ensure the highest degree of safety and the best possible quality of life is achieved in their living environment. If a client’s living needs are best met by living in a community setting, we will consider the client’s financial situation, personality, and likes when making a recommendation. Our work with the client doesn’t end once we have helped them find community living arrangements. A Registered Nurse Advocate, or the Managing Director, will routinely check in with the client to support their adjustment to their new home. Additionally, we will conduct unannounced quality assurance checks to ensure that staff consistently and appropriately honor the client’s wishes while addressing their physical and medical needs and well-being.
Life Care Managers Coordinate the Delivery of Services
Service coordination is perhaps one of the most essential life care management services we perform. While service coordination has typically meant coordinating healthcare services between providers, life care managers look beyond a client’s health needs and coordinate all the services that help an individual maintain a high quality of life. Our Personal Needs Coordinators and Managing Director are familiar with many service providers in the community, and we can assist clients or their families in vetting a wide range of service providers. From providers to yard care, home repair services, or home upgrades, life care managers will manage the delivery of all our clients’ essential life services. We know the local home care providers and can help select a home care agency to prepare meals, arrange transportation, and provide a range of in-home care services that a person may need.
When a client can safely age in place, a Registered Nurse Advocate or Managing Director will assist in selecting the necessary services to support independent living. This can range from hiring a home care agency for companion care services to finding a service provider to remove snow during the winter and tend to the lawn in the summer. Our Registered Nurse Advocates can assist with minor home modifications, such as adding non-slip pads under rugs or relocating cords to minimize tripping hazards. Should more intensive home modifications be required, our Personal Needs Coordinators can assist in vetting contractors, collecting bids, and performing on-site quality assurance as the work is being done.
Our Personal Needs Coordinators Take Life Care Management Beyond Care Management
Unlike many care management or case management providers, we go beyond helping clients manage their health — we also work with them to manage their finances. Understanding our clients’ financial situations enables us to make recommendations tailored to their specific needs. In some instances, we can help clients enroll in government benefit programs or assist them with their prescription medications. Our financial assessments can also uncover financial abuse or exploitation, or help individuals take steps to avoid becoming a victim of predatory behavior. These services don’t replace the services a financial planner can provide, and in some instances, we may recommend that a client work with a financial planner to ensure they have a financially sound future. Life care management varies from person to person. Still, regardless of our client’s needs, we always adhere to our core tenet: helping older adults and individuals with disabilities live life to its fullest potential and with dignity.