Caregiving
Finding the Right Caregiver Takes Work
Locating the right caregiver can be daunting.
October 23, 2007
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was originally published in the April 2007 issue of Kiplinger's Retirement Report. To subscribe, click here.
Your mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Not only must you deal with the shock of hearing that your mom is sick, but you must also figure out where she can get the right care. How do you start?
The good news is that a lot of information on care services is now available. The bad news is that you may have a difficult time finding the help that best suits your own situation. A large city, for example, may have 50 home-health agencies and a dozen nursing homes. "This is a kind of giant jigsaw puzzle," says Bonnie Lawrence, of the San Francisco-based Family Caregiver Alliance.
You'll have to do much of the legwork yourself. Think of your search as digging through layers of resources. In the first layer are sources that provide free information, including lists of local providers. At the next level are free or low-cost information-and-referral services, which can help you narrow the names on those lists. Finally, there are care managers, who will build a specific plan for your mother and then oversee the services -- for a hefty hourly fee.
Choosing the most appropriate route depends on your circumstances. If you live in the same city as your parent, and have the time, skill and patience to interview care providers, you can develop a good plan on your own. If Mom lives 500 miles away, it's easily worth the money to get advice from a care manager. "A lot of people come to me after trying to do this on their own and throwing up their hands in frustration," says Margi Helsel-Arnold, a partner with Geriatric Care Counseling, a care-management firm in Bethesda, Md. Here's guidance on how to search.
On your own. Several good Web sites provide free information on caregiving. They include the Family Caregiver Alliance (www.caregiver.org), the National Family Caregivers Association (www.nfcacares.org) and Caring from a Distance (www.cfad.org). Also check the Web sites of disease-related organizations, such as the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org).
To find professionals, your first stop should be with the federal government's Eldercare Locator (www.eldercare.gov; 800-677-1116). The service will connect you with the local Area Agency on Aging, a clearinghouse for resource information. The agency may give you names of eldercare providers, but it usually won't suggest which ones are best for you.
Some extra help. If you want more guidance, try a local information-and-referral service. These services are usually operated by independent nonprofit organizations. After a detailed telephone discussion with you, a specialist may suggest two or three resources. For instance, the service may give you names of several well-regarded home-health agencies or nursing homes that specialize in Alzheimer's disease. Many will assist you for free, although some may charge a modest fee. You can find information-and-referral services through your Area Agency on Aging or through the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (www.airs.org).
Hiring the pros. Care managers are usually nurses or social workers with experience working with elderly or disabled people. They'll first conduct a medical assessment of your mother, and then they'll work with you to create a care plan. They'll guide you to specific providers and periodically check in to see how your loved one is doing.
Medicare does not pay for these services, although some long-term-care insurance policies will. If you have limited financial resources, you may want to seek the help of a nonprofit care-manager service. You can find them through the local Area Agency on Aging, or check with your church or synagogue. For-profit managers charge $95 to $150 an hour. To find one, contact the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (www.caremanager.org; 520-881-8008) or ask your local aging agency.
Before hiring a service, ask if it is receiving any fee from the providers it's recommending. If it is, walk away. And always check out any provider yourself. If it's a nursing home, visit it. If it's a home-health agency, interview the staff.
