Our brand of care management and advocacy

Our brand of care management and advocacy……
Families become involved with Consultants for Aging Families in a variety of ways. Nearly always there are significant worries and stressors that impact relationships and life quality for both parent and adult child generations. Children who have elder parents don’t want to see them grow older and slower. No one wants to see a beloved someone sick or in pain. A family’s first impulse is “We have to help!! We have to fix it!” Of course that is a natural reaction.
Even families’ ways of “fixing” things are all different, depending on how they were raised, current life circumstances and competing responsibilities, the quality of relationship with siblings and parents. Each family is unique. And each individual in a family is just that: an individual with his own biases, previously unmet needs, ways of approaching a problem/task.
Elder parents are usually at the center of a family’s concern. Sometimes families have been closely involved and know what mom and dad have for breakfast each day. Sometimes families talk with the folks once or twice a month and when dad says “Oh, we’re gettin’ along just fine! Don’t worry about us!”, he is taken at his word. Then comes the call in the night of a hospitalization, a fall, with a report from neighbors that many have worried for a long time!
However an aging family comes to a professional care manager for assistance, guidance, and support, it is usually an excellent move. Knowledgeable and experienced certified professional geriatric care managers can smooth the process of shoring up health care, environmental, and social networks so needs are met and life becomes less stressful and difficult.
At Consultants for Aging Families our knowledge of family systems, adult development and aging and geriatric nursing combine to provide a comprehensive “mini course” for the family and elders about how to understand each other, what options make the most sense, how to make medical decisions in concert with trusted physicians, and how to get the most out of life in the final chapter. The outcome of initial discussions may not be what each family member thinks is best. It MUST be, however, what is in the elder’s best interests balanced with HIS wishes and preferences. Adults as well as children learn and many times we continue to learn by our mistakes. If we can understand the possible ramifications of our decisions, and our decisions will not bring harm to others. We should have the right to make those decisions.
And so, while we at Consultants for Aging Families support and assist the family, our primary client is the elder parent. We advocate for an elder’s right to live as he wishes, as comfortably and well as possible. If we can come up with a plan that satisfies everyone, we are very pleased indeed!

Nancy McCambridge Driskill. RN, MS, CMC

March 2011