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The Top 5 reasons Why You Should Call an Aging Life Care Professional®

As an Aging Life Care Professional®, one of the most common refrains I hear from families is “ I wish I had known about your services sooner”! May is Aging Life Care month so now is the perfect opportunity to highlight the important work that we do. 

Here are the top 5 reasons why you should call an Aging Life Care Professional®!

1. Managing a Health Care Crisis

Falls and medication errors are two of the most common and preventable reasons older adults are admitted to an Emergency Department (ED). Aging Life Care Professionals® are often called during an urgent situation where there has been a catastrophic change in a loved one’s condition; this is especially true when inter-generational families are living long distances apart.  We help families navigate through the immediate crisis and then work to put together systems and processes that keep their loved ones out of the ED admission cycle.

2. Guiding a Transition of Care

Whether it’s a move from a hospital or rehab facility to home or from home to a skilled nursing or assisted living facility, transitions in care settings can be one of the most vulnerable times for seniors. Miscommunication and poor planning can translate into poor health outcomes. Aging Life Care Professionals® are laser focused on all the important details across the healthcare continuum. They anticipate the challenges and have solutions crafted so the transition process goes smoothly, bringing peace of mind.

3. Providing Families a Strategic Plan of Care 

Families of older adults are often overwhelmed by the complexity of the healthcare system. Making wise and impactful decisions requires a breadth and depth of knowledge that is often beyond their scope or level of expertise. Researching options is time intensive and costly. Aging Life Care Professionals® are experts in their field and have a wide array of resources and networks. They are problem solvers and can provide a personalized, holistic strategic plan or “roadmap” on how to help a loved one age in place or transition to an appropriate care setting. 

4. Vetting and Supporting a Home Care Team

Engaging a caregiver or companion is often a time consuming, bewildering and sometimes frustrating process. Aging Life Care Professionals® can cut through the chaos and confusion guiding families to make smart choices on the caregiver match for their loved ones, thus enhancing the quality of the home care experience. Once a caregiver is selected, they can provide education on best care practices supporting the family and care team.

5. Navigating Complex Benefits Systems

Medicaid, Medicare and long-term care insurance plans are not always easy to navigate. They seem to have their own unique bureaucratic language and there are a myriad of hoops to jump through before the benefits can be realized. The qualifying evaluation process is often bewildering, and one wrong turn could result in a denial of a much-needed funding. Aging Life Care Professionals® are expert benefit navigators. They stay current on all the latest policy changes so that you are getting the best possible guidance and advocacy.

So now you know the world’s best kept secret–Call an Aging Life Care Professional® sooner rather than later. We’re here to help!

www.aginglifecare.org

Anne C. Sansevero RN, MA, GNP, CCM

CEO & Founder HealthSense LLC

Aging Life Care Association® National Board of Directors Officer

Aging Life Care Association® New York Chapter President

Written by Anne Sansevero