Answers for Families Navigating Senior Care

A Geriatric Care Manager (also called an Aging Life Care Professional™) is a health and human services specialist who acts as a guide and advocate for older adults and their families. They assess needs, create care plans, coordinate services, and serve as a knowledgeable liaison between families and the healthcare system. Think of them as a personal navigator for the complex world of senior care.

Families typically reach out when a loved one has experienced a health crisis, a recent hospitalization, a new diagnosis, or a noticeable decline in functioning. Care managers are also invaluable when family members live far away, when there is disagreement about care decisions, or when the sheer complexity of managing multiple providers and services becomes unmanageable. You don't have to wait for a crisis — many families benefit from proactive planning.

A home health aide provides hands-on personal care — bathing, dressing, meal preparation, and companionship. A care manager is a professional advisor and coordinator who assesses needs, creates care plans, selects and supervises care providers (including home health aides), advocates in medical settings, and guides families through complex decisions. Care managers work at a strategic level; aides work at a daily care level. Many families benefit from both.

Senior care exists on a spectrum from independent living to full nursing home care. In between are options like aging in place with home care support, independent living communities, assisted living facilities, memory care units, and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). Choosing the right level of care depends on your loved one's medical needs, cognitive status, social preferences, and financial situation. A care manager can help you evaluate each option objectively.