Topic: Aging Life Care professional
What is your role at Aging Wisdom?
What made you want to work in the field of aging? …
Editor’s Note: We are grateful for this guest article from our Principal Emerita, Dr. Jullie Gray. Dr. Gray was co-investigator on a recent study of the Aging Life Care Association. She shares the study findings below.
As we wind down Aging Life Care Month, we want time to recognize and celebrate the vital role that Aging Life Care Professionals® play in helping older adults and their families navigate life’s most complex transitions. The team at Aging Wisdom is proud to be part of this compassionate, ethical, and deeply human-centered field and to highlight the heart of what they do: Connect. …
As you’re planning ahead, whether for yourself or your parents, it is essential to consider where you will live. …
Proactive Planning: Is home really “Home Sweet Home”? (6/11)Read More »
Are you ready to take charge of the future? Whether supporting an older parent or planning for your own aging, it’s crucial to understand the intricacies of long-term care and be prepared for any unexpected twists and turns.
Lisa Mayfield, our principal and founder, was invited by Kristine McHugh, Lead Advisor with Brighton Jones, to a conversation about proactive planning for the essentials of eldercare.
We’ve created a series of eleven episodes, this being the first, from this informative conversation. The next 11 weeks will provide a comprehensive review of the steps, supports, and services everyone needs to prepare for their own aging, that of their partner or spouse, or planning for your parents or others you care about.
Will you need help? According to the U.S. Administration on Aging, recent research shows that “most Americans turning age 65 will need long-term care services at some point in their lives.”1
The first step is to kind of build a team of support around you. Pull in professionals who can help you anticipate, plan for, and navigate changes.
Engaging knowledgeable professionals who can offer guidance and expertise, including:
- An elder law or estate planning attorney ensures that key legal documents such as powers of attorney for finances and health care decisions and advanced directives are up to date. This gives others you trust, whom you’ve chosen, to legally to manage finances and medical decisions if you become incapacitated.
- A financial advisor analyzes assets, projects future costs, assesses insurance options such as long-term care policies, and develops a financial plan to fund anticipated care needs. Learn how to select the right financial advisor for your needs.
- An aging life care professional (aka geriatric care manager). We provide consultation and comprehensive, personally tailored plans addressing health changes, family dynamics, housing, hands-on assistance, and more. We also assist in implementation and ongoing care management. As Lisa shared, there are people like us all over the country. Aging Wisdom serves King and South Snohomish counties in Washington State. We are part of professional association – the Aging Life Care Association– and can help you find care management professionals
Being proactive now leads to greater peace of mind and better outcomes. Preparation emerges as the key to embracing the evolving chapters of life while maintaining a sense of control and independence.
- Who Needs Care? https://acl.gov/ltc/basic-needs/who-needs-care
Additional Resources:
- What is Long Term Care? (Aging Wisdom fact sheet)
- The Power of Planning: Taking Charge of Your Own Aging Journey (article written by Lisa Mayfield for 3rd Act magazine
- Plan Your Lifespan (a website that helps you plan for health events such as hospitalizations, falls, and memory loss that may happen as people get older).
<CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast> This is the last in a series of four discussions with Lisa Mayfield, Aging Wisdom’s principal and founder, and Suzanne Newman, founder and CEO of Answers for Elders.
What does an Aging Life Care Professional do (aka geriatric care manager)? As Lisa shares with Suzanne, “We are a group of professionals who serve as consultants to individuals and their families who are navigating changes in health and changes in memory.”
We’re professionals that individuals and families can hire to help guide them through the complicated, overwhelming, and confusing system of long-term care choices and how best to choose what works best for their unique situation from so many options.
Suzanne tells her personal story, which is very common, of going it alone without the guidance of an Aging Life Care expert. “When I was navigating that world as a daughter, way back when, I listened a lot to my mom about what she wanted. And although there was a little voice in the back of my head saying this is probably not the right fit, I didn’t have the toolbox to be able to guide her.
I ended up moving my mother four times. And that is heartbreaking, because had I made the right decision in advance, she would have not had to move. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and had I hired somebody like you, I can imagine my world would have been so much easier for on me as well as on her.”
We appreciate how Suzanne, in retrospect, is one of our biggest cheerleaders and understands the value and benefits of hiring a care manager before or when you’re in the midst of needing coaching and assistance on making decisions and finding the best solutions.
And as Lisa reflects, we are now seeing the adult children of our former clients coming to us for consultation and proactive planning ahead of a possible crisis or change in health or memory. Or, they have a health change that has prompted the need to explore options and make plans for what’s ahead.
We also help spouses and partners who must make decisions on behalf of their significant other. It can feel very isolating and overwhelming. We offer support as are an objective, knowledgeable guide during those difficult times.
Curious to understand how Care Management might be of value? Click here to schedule a call with one of our Certified Care Managersto explore the options.
Additional Reading and Resources:
- What is Aging Life Care? (Aging Wisdom blog article)
- Assembling your support team (Aging Wisdom blog article)
- Ongoing Support – Care Management (link to Care Management webpage)
The depth and breadth of what care management is able to provide for clients is best answered by the needs and goals of each individual client. This is what we mean by person-directed, tailored care.
In this week’s podcast, Sheila and Keri take a deeper look at the holistic range of services and supports that can be provided and coordinated by Aging Life Care professionals like our Care Managers.
Our Care Managers can remain actively involved to optimize care and adjust to changing needs and circumstances. When clients are facing the transitions of aging, we facilitate and guide strategic planning, provide coaching, and implementation of solutions. …
A Get Acquainted Call is usually the first contact. This call is an opportunity to learn about your situation and determine if our services fit your needs.
“That first inquiry call is a time of discovery. They’re telling us a little bit about what’s going on. We’re listening and then we’re offering in general terms how we can provide assistance,” shares Sheila McKannay, New Client Services, Certified Care Manager. …
May is Aging Life Care Month, an opportunity to celebrate our profession! We love our work.
What is an Aging Life Care Professional (aka Care Manager)?
We are health and human services specialists who act as guides and advocates for individuals and couples who are planning for themselves, and others, such as families, chosen families, and friends caring for older or disabled adults. …
Today we celebrate our colleague Nicole Amico Kane, Director of Care Management. This month marks Nicole’s ten-year work anniversary at Aging Wisdom.
Nicole oversees our care management team as mentor, director, and visionary leader. She also guides and mentors our University of Washington social work student interns. In addition, Nicole frequently makes informative and empowering presentations in the community.
Recently, Nicole was recognized as Outstanding Chapter Member of the Year by the Western Region Chapter (WRC) of our professional association, the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA), during the ALCA annual conference held in Minneapolis. …
An Aging Life Care Professional (aka geriatric Care Manager) is a health and human services specialist who acts as a guide and advocate for families who are caring for older relatives or disabled adults.
Aging Life Care Professionals are educated and experienced in any of several fields related to Aging Life Care management, including, but not limited to counseling, gerontology, mental health, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, or social work; with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care. …
What are the Qualifications of an Aging Life Care Professional?Read More »