From the Los Angeles Times (registration required):

A new industry of caregivers is emerging to take care of the growing ranks of elderly who are staying alive longer, thanks to advances in medical care. Where adult children may once have been able to keep an eye on their elders, the globalized economy has drawn many to workplaces far from home.

… an industry of local care coordinators is emerging to bridge the gap between far-off relatives and aging parents who may be overwhelmed by the labyrinth of medical and other services designed to help the aged and infirm survive in their own homes.

Even now, “we don’t have enough geriatric case managers to go around,” said Cheri Lattimer, executive director of the Case Management Society of America, a group composed largely of healthcare professionals.

As many as 200,000 workers, including nurses, social workers and family therapists, may be devoting at least some of their efforts to helping old people and their younger relatives confront a maze of support services, she said.

… Care coordinators vary in quality and qualifications, some experts caution. Costs may exceed the reach of some households and regulation is lax.

Nonetheless, an attorney who works on elder abuse issues said that the emergence of care management as a specialty was a promising development and that such coordinators could help steer families toward safe assistance and away from shady operators who offer cheap in-home care.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 4th, 2008 at 11:24 am and is filed under caregivers, elderly, families, health aides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post