As part of celebrating the month of May as Aging Life Care Month, we would like to help educate our visitors on what it is that Aging Life Care Professionals, also known as Geriatric Care Managers, do to help aging persons and their involved family members to plan for care and solve aging challenges.

While working as a Home Health social worker, I saw that my patients needed much more assistance than insurance would cover for them, and working in the position I was, my hands were tied to help them beyond the services we offered. I saw the greater need and while talking with a friend in the industry, she suggested that I investigate the field of care management. After research and thoughtful consideration, I decided to become a care manager and opened Long Term Liaisons in 2011.

Since then, I’ve been able to help clients and their families navigate complex care issues. I use my experience and knowledge to find creative solutions that enrich their quality of life, maintain their independence as much as possible, and support current and future care needs, trying to avoid crisis situations. There are times where families disagree about what would be best for their aging loved one and I am able to look at the whole picture, as an unbiased advocate for the aging person to help present options and recommendations that best serve the needs of the aging person. Families often say this is a big stress relief for them.

As I grew Long Term Liaisons, I created a dedicated team of professionals who are committed to providing exceptional care for aging clients and their families. There are many challenges faced during the aging process and having a multi-disciplinary team available means that there is no challenge too small or too large. We have experience with very complex situations, such as individuals facing cognitive and memory decline coupled with substance abuse. We’ve successfully assisted families through many situations where they felt completely overwhelmed and hopeless.

This work provides a daily ebb and flow of creative problem solving while walking side-by-side with our clients and their families. Working with humans involves not only challenges but also humorous situations. I recall a couple who were both clients. The husband’s health deteriorated, and he was living in Assisted Living and had been admitted to hospice. His appetite had decreased but his wife was intent on making sure that he continued eating. One morning I talked with her before I went to visit him and in her distinctive British accent, she reported he had not eaten much that morning. She had already been to see him, and she stated that she had “diligently tried to administer a sausage and he ate none of it!!” We have myriads of stories from our work with clients and families and we fondly remember each of our clients who have passed. Our goal is always to enrich the quality of life for them as they meet their challenges and to share recommendations for their specific care that follow that goal.

It is fulfilling to be able to help with solutions that are not always addressed when insurance is the guiding force. If you are facing challenges and want to figure out the local solutions, please reach out to me at (803) 215-1019 or info@longtermliaisons.com.