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| What is a Professional Geriatric Care Manager (PGCM)? |
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A PGCM is a specialist who helps senior citizens and families or responsible parties who are caring for senior relatives. The PGCM is trained and experienced in any of several fields related to long-term care, including nursing, gerontology, and social work, with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care. The PGCM is an experienced guide and resource for families of mature adults and others with chronic needs.
 Geriatric care managers are normally licensed in their area of expertise (such as nursing or social work), but there is no state certification for professional geriatric care managers. For this reason, anyone can use the title case or care manager, but only those who are certified are allowed to use the term "Professional Geriatric Care Manager".
The National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers recognizes the following designations for a "Certified Care Manager": CMC, CCM, C-ASWCM and C-SWCM. Each of these requires stringent testing and continuing education. Always ask if the geriatric care manager you are considering is a certified professional geriatric care manager. This will ensure you receive care that is consistent and meets standards set by the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.
Senior Matters staff are certified Professional Geriatric Care Managers and are members of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.
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| How do I know if I need a PGCM? |
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When considering whether you need a PGCM, you should consider whether you have the time to manage the many aspects of geriatric care. If you are not sure, ask a trusted source, such as your physician, to help you decide.
When you place a call to Senior Matters, the staff will listen to your situation and tell you whether we can help you, and how we believe we can help you. If we do not believe our assistance will benefit you, we will refer you to someone who fits your needs more appropriately.
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| What will a PGCM do for me? |
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PGCMs coordinate care and advocate for their clients. For relatives who do not live close by, this brings peace of mind knowing their loved one's care is being closely monitored. For relatives who live close by, this frees them from long hours spent working through the health care maze for answers to their questions, thus allowing them to spend more time enjoying time with their loved one.
A PGCM's goal is always to help the client maintain his or her independence and to assist them in remaining in their own home if at all possible. A PGCM can assist you with a single task, such as choosing a long-term community, or the PGCM can oversee all aspects of the caregiving needs of the client. A PGCM performs tasks such as: |
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- Performing a geriatric assessment and developing a care plan
- Assisting with installation of monitoring devices to protect the client
- Providing crisis intervention
- Assisting with legal and financial issues
- Assisting with placement of in-home caregivers
- Assisting with the move of the client, if necessary, to a long-term care community, or to the home of a relative that lives close by, or across the country.
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| What is a Geriatric Assessment? |
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A geriatric assessment is an evaluation of the Senior to determine his or her ability to function independently in his or her home. The assessment evaluates the client both physically and mentally. An assessment may determine that the client is able to maintain his or her independence with very little assistance (for example the client may only need someone to help with transportation), or the assessment may determine the client needs extensive assistance. A care plan will be developed and recommendations will be made to the client and / or to his or her family based on the results of the assessment.
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| Are your caregiver / companions bonded? |
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Yes, all caregivers that work for In Home Matters (a company owned by Senior Matters) are bonded and insured.
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| What if I'm not comfortable with the caregiver / companion you assign to me? Can I have a different one assigned to me? |
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Absolutely. The caregiver is in your home to assist you and to make you comfortable.
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| I only need a caregiver / companion to drive me to appointments occasionally. Can this be arranged? |
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Yes. We can provide caregivers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or for only a few hours a week.
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| Do Medicare or Medicaid cover the costs of a PGCM or a caregiver / companion? |
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Although a PGCM, particularly one who is also a registered nurse, may perform some occasional medical services for the client, overall the services are not what Medicare and Medicaid consider "medically necessary". The services performed are normally related to management of care, not performing medical services. As such, these services are not covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Some long-term care policies do cover case management, so check with your insurance company to determine if any coverage exists.
The caregiver / companion services are non-medical services and are not covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Some insurance policies cover in home caregivers, so check with your insurance company to determine if any coverage exists.
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| If you have questions not answered on this website, please call us or email us for more information. |
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