Care Coordination
Having help with coordinating your care can be an enormous relief when you face recovery from illness, chronic health issues, or are finding living at home more difficult than it used to be. A Geriatric Care Manager holds a specialty in gerontology, social work, or nursing and is an expert source to turn to for consultation, assessing your needs, and help selecting available resources. Using a care manager’s expertise and knowledge of services can save a family countless hours of research and calling. Additionally, it is important to note that advice through IOA is independent; we do not receive commissions for referrals.
Services provided by a professional Geriatric Care Manager:
- Full assessment of a client’s needs and wants
- Individualized plans to meet those needs
- Coordination of medical care and accompaniment to medical appointments
- Evaluation of the home to ensure it is well-maintained and safe
- Arrangement of services such as home care, housekeeping, transportation, and meals
- Management of complicated medication regimes
- Crisis support and counseling
- Long-term care planning
- Assist in selecting a residential facility, and help with the move and adjustment
- Family consultation, education, and referral
- A caring professional serving as eyes and ears for long-distance loved ones
How are Geriatric Care Managers paid?
- Private Professional Care Management
The client pays the Geriatric Care Manager based on an hourly fee. Many long-term care insurance policies also cover care management services. - Medi-Cal
Through California Area Agencies on Aging, each County offers a Multipurpose Senior Service Program (MSSP), a care management program offered free of charge to individuals 65 years of age or older with Medi-Cal coverage. In San Francisco County, IOA provides the MSSP program.
Where do I find a Geriatric Care Manager?
IOA provides several Care Coordination programs:
- Private Professional Care Coordination:
- In Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties: Older Adults Care Management
- In San Francisco and Marin Counties: Support Services for Elders
- Linkages provides care management services to disabled adults 18 years and older in San Francisco County who are unable to manage all of their care by themselves. Linkages utilizes a sliding fee scale; services are not denied for inability to pay.
- MSSP is for Medi-Cal eligible clients and serves San Francisco County.