Topic: hospital discharge
<CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast> This is the second 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.
Helping families through a medical emergency is a familiar scenario in our work as Aging Life Care Professionals (aka Care Managers). A trip to the emergency department or a hospitalization can occur because of a fall or a stroke. Hospitals systems can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate. This is where an Aging Life Care Professional comes in. We help guide families through the labyrinth.
We can also provide a realistic perspective on options, resources, and outcomes in support of a client’s health and well-being. When hospital discharge is eminent, we can provide information about the best options and assist with discharge plans and successful transitions to rehab, home, or another supportive environment such as assisted living.
Care Managers are also experienced at mediating conversations as well as providing an expert, objective, and realistic perspective in each situation. This helps families make tough choices, focus on healing, and finding peace of mind in challenging situations.
How Aging Wisdom Can Help You: Our Care Managers provide one-time consultations or ongoing support to guide your family in the right direction. Click here to schedule a get-acquainted call with one of our Certified Care Managers.
Nothing can be more discouraging than returning home from a hospital stay, only to be readmitted due to something you didn’t anticipate, such as a drug interaction or a delayed recovery from anesthesia. As Kaiser Health News’ Navigating Aging contributing columnist Judith Graham identified in an insightful article about how to avoid readmission, “too often institutions don’t take the reality of seniors’ lives adequately into account, making it imperative that patients figure out how to advocate for themselves.” …
Planning Ahead: Tips for Returning Home from the Hospital and Avoiding ReadmissionRead More »
In this podcast episode, we provide a snapshot of the many ways a Care Manager (aka Aging Life Care Professional) can offer guidance, coordination, crisis intervention, and most importantly, peace of mind. A Care Manager is an essential tool in a client’s resources toolbox.
Care Managers help in a multiple of ways. Here are a few examples of how we’ve assisted in a variety of situations, from preventing falls to managing care costs to recommendations for supports to remain at home.
Consultations. Sometimes families and friends meet with us separately, not involving the individual for whom there is concern, initially, be it a parent, spouse, or close friend. They may be worried about the person in their care remaining at home safely, or how best to manage a new health diagnosis, or managing resistance to help.
Other times, it’s a valid concern about money and the cost of care. Or Aunt Sally hasn’t set up her powers of attorney, or she doesn’t have a will or advance directives, and she has a cognitive impairment. They’re seeking advice on what they should do to make sure the person in their care is protected.
When we have a consultation, we’re looking at the immediate as well as the big picture. We help with next steps, recommendations, and resources. Oftentimes families will ask us for our assistance to implement next steps.
Home assessments. During an assessment, we observe and assess the client within their own home. We’re looking head-to-toe, not in a medical evaluation approach, but in a daily living and life management approach. We also assess the home for safety and what could make it easier for the client to remain in their home.
As Care Managers, we can serve as the point person to help with navigation, guidance, and implementation. We listen. We educate. We advocate. We coach. We reduce stress. We help clients save time and money.
Want to explore the benefits of working with a Care Manager? Click here to schedule a get-acquainted call with a Certified Care Manager.
RESOURCES
- What is Aging Life Care?– fact sheet
- Falls Prevention: From Awareness to Action– blog
- The Dance: Finding Balance When Helping an Aging Parent– article
- Aging Wisdom’s Services brochure– downloadable