In our earlier guide, Geriatric or Elder Care Manager, we explained how Ability Link’s staff help Santa Clara County families coordinate care for aging loved ones. Since then, one term keeps coming up in our conversations with families, hospitals and other professionals: Life Care Manager.
This article explains what a Life Care Manager is, why the name is catching on, and what it means for your family if you’re looking for help.
From Geriatric Care Manager to Life Care Manager
For more than 30 years, this profession was known as Geriatric Care Management. Its national professional group even changed its own name, from the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers to the Aging Life Care Association.
There were two good reasons for the change. First, terms like “care manager” and “geriatric care manager” had been taken up by many other kinds of providers, so they no longer described the work clearly. Second, “geriatric” never fit everyone who needs this kind of help. People with disabilities, adults living with a chronic illness, and families planning ahead all benefit too.
“Life care” describes the real scope of the work: a person’s whole life, not just their age. So if you’ve been searching for a Geriatric Care Manager or an Elder Care Manager, a Life Care Manager is the same kind of professional, under a name that better fits what they do.
What a Life Care Manager does
A Life Care Manager is a professional guide and advocate who helps people manage the medical, practical and emotional sides of care. The work usually starts with a full assessment of health, safety, home, finances, family support and social life. From there, the Life Care Manager builds a care plan around the person’s own goals.
Then they help put that plan into action. That can mean coordinating doctors and medications, planning a safe hospital discharge, finding trustworthy in-home help, sorting out insurance or housing questions, and leading family meetings. Most importantly, they stay involved over time and adjust the plan as needs change.
The Aging Life Care Association describes the relationship well: the professional is the coach, and the family is the team captain. You stay in charge of decisions. The Life Care Manager brings the expertise, local knowledge and follow-through.
Who works with a Life Care Manager
Many of the families we meet are adult children caring for a parent while balancing work, kids or long distances. Others are older adults who want to stay safely in their own homes, people with disabilities planning for long-term support, or someone without nearby family who needs a trusted advocate.
A Life Care Manager can also help when life changes suddenly, such as after a fall, a new diagnosis like dementia or Parkinson’s, or the loss of a spouse who had been the main caregiver.
Signs it may be time to reach out
The best time to bring in a Life Care Manager is before a crisis, but it’s never too late. You might consider it if your loved one has had a recent fall or hospital stay, if medications, appointments or bills are being missed, or if you live far away and aren’t sure what’s really happening day to day.
It can also help when siblings disagree about what a parent needs, when hard conversations like giving up driving keep getting put off, or when caregiving has started to affect your own health, job or family.
How to choose a Life Care Manager
Look for someone with training in a field like social work, nursing, gerontology or counseling, and ideally a professional certification. Ask how long they’ve worked with older adults or people with disabilities, and how well they know local hospitals, programs and providers.
It’s also fair to ask how they’ll keep your family updated, whether they’re available in an emergency, and how they charge. A trustworthy care manager should not take referral fees from the providers they recommend.
What does a life care manager cost?
Most life care managers charge by the hour, and rates vary by region. Care management is generally not covered by Medicare, Medicaid or most insurance, though some long-term care insurance policies may help.
Getting started with Ability Link
Ability Link is a program of Peninsula Healthcare Connection, a nonprofit health care agency that has served Silicon Valley for 20 years. Our Life Care Managers support families across Santa Clara County, including San Jose, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Los Gatos, Campbell, Milpitas, Saratoga, Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
Whatever name you’ve been searching for, the first step is a conversation. Schedule a free consultation or email us at adrianna@ability.link. We’ll listen, answer your questions, and help you figure out what comes next.