Hiring an Aging Life Care Professional™ when you need help caring for aging parents is really no different from hiring an attorney for legal needs or a CPA for preparing taxes. Aging Life Care Professionals guide you through the often complicated maze of long-term care. From determining optimal housing to managing chronic health care issues, the expertise of an Aging Life Care Professional ensures quality care and an optimal life for clients, thus reducing worry, stress and time off of work for family caregivers.
Aging Life Care™… There’s a Professional for That
Aging Life Care Professionals can provide caregiver support, alleviate stress through meeting individualized needs, and offer information about local services. They can recommend the most appropriate, available, and cost-effective services that will support the older adult and the family.
Aging Life Care Professionals monitor and evaluate services and make adjustments as needs change. They can perform important services to physicians by monitoring medical treatment compliance issues, help with medications, and assuring that scheduled appointments are kept.
For long-distance caregivers, Aging Life Care Professionals can provide the ongoing supervision and communication link so often needed to avoid frequent and costly trips.
You may need an Aging Life Care Professional if the person you are caring for:
- has multiple medical or psychological issues
- is unable to live safely in their current environment
- is not pleased with current care providers and requires advocacy
- is confused about their own financial and/or legal situation
- has limited or no family support
Or if your family:
- has just become involved with helping the individual and needs direction about available services
- is either “burned out” or confused about care solutions
- has limited time and/or expertise in dealing with the individual’s chronic care needs and does not live close by
- is at odds regarding care decisions
- needs education and/or direction in dealing with behaviors associated with dementia
Below are two real-life situations that are examples of how Aging Life Care Professionals can help:
Long-Distance Caregiving
Mr. Smith lived in Los Angeles while his parents resided in Philadelphia. Every third week, he traveled home to care for his aging parents. He would catch the “Red Eye” on Thursday night and handle doctor’s visits, cleaning, laundry, medication management, and all his parents’ needs. After two years, he was exhausted. Hiring an Aging Life Care Professional transformed his parents’ quality of care and his own life. His own physical problems dissipated, and he felt a reduction of stress which was life saving. His parents reported a better quality of life and became less stressed themselves knowing they had a local person to help with the small issues of aging as well as the major problems of an illness.
Resistant to Help
Robert and Ann lived in a once-beautiful condo in an affluent neighborhood. Ann’s increasing memory loss and paranoia made her loudly object to any kind of help at home, even a cleaning service. For over a year, Ann had refused to bathe, wash or cut her hair, or take much-needed medications. Her husband Robert, a retired scientist, was physically frail but mentally alert. He rarely interfered with Ann’s decisions or activities because he could not tolerate her angry tirades. He also refused his adult children’s attempts to place Ann in an assisted living facility. The family watched hopelessly as their parents continued to live in squalor and self-neglect.
The Aging Life Care Professional was introduced to the parents in the son’s home. Her assessment was that Ann urgently needed placement in an assisted care for memory-impaired individuals. After gradually gaining Robert’s trust, she was able to persuade him to agree to the move. The Aging Life Care Professional guided the family in selecting a high-quality community and successfully coordinated the move for Ann.
Finding an Aging Life Care Professional
The Aging Life Care Association’s website, aginglifecare.org offers a user-friendly search engine, allowing you to locate an Aging Life Care Professional in your area. The listing is updated on a daily basis.
This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, nor is it intended to be a substitute for, professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Information on this blog does not necessarily reflect official positions of the Aging Life Care Association™ and is provided “as is” without warranty. Always consult with a qualified professional with any particular questions you may have regarding your or a family member’s needs.
Source: ALCA Blog