GERIATRIC CARE
MANAGEMENT
As a professional Certified Geriatric Care Manager,
She is also a member of the National Care Planning Council,
the Estate Planning & Trust Council
of Long Beach, the Alzheimer’s Foundation
of America, the
Dementia Care Professionals of America,
and the Senior Resource Alliance of Los
Angeles / Orange Counties.
AHL Services can and does serve clients
throughout
Geriatric Assessment Services
Brief Intervention Assessment: An objective,
face-to-face interview with a client and family members, along with a review of
all pertinent records, will serve to identify immediate problems in order to provide
necessary and essential services as quickly as possible. Issues addressed include financial resources
and allocation, legal responsibilities and protection, current and anticipated
medical concerns, and social support and adaptation.
Professional Care Assessment: Anne’s formal
professional assessment will help the client and family define long-term goals
and create an overall strategy for a comprehensive plan for the future. An outline for the preparation of such a comprehensive Care Plan (provided by the National
Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers) is available for your
review.
Care Management Services
Crisis Intervention, Counseling,
& Support: In confusing and
unexpected circumstances, the Care Manager is best suited to provide a detached
analysis, objective opinions, practical suggestions, a friendly voice, or a helping
hand to the client or family. An emergency health
crisis
is often the precipitating event leading to the need for extended care
alternatives, and in the absence of advance planning, Anne can initiate
necessary and appropriate services immediately without wasting time, effort,
and resources - establishing the basis for a more considered plan of action in
the future.
Two critical
starting points are family dynamics and caregiver support. Anne can help mediate differences among family
members, often eliminating costly battles over care and depletion of personal
and financial resources. A caregiver needs
attention and support because he or she must have the freedom to make good
decisions and to access the best resources.
A stressed caregiver is of little or no value - and can be detrimental
to the overall quality of care.
Selection and Supervision of Care
Providers: This most basic
care management component is the on-going screening, selection, and monitoring
of professional care givers, either in the home, as out-patient services, or at
in-patient facilities. Through past experience
with local services, Anne will provide the appropriate connections and
referrals to qualified and reliable resources, and will coordinate all the various aspects of the comprehensive care plan. Anne is not financially affiliated
with any home care or home health agencies, and her recommendations are based
solely on a desire to best suit the needs of the client.
Companions &
Transportation: On a case by
case basis, and under her direct supervision, Anne may suggest “Driving Ms.
Daisy” care associates – mature, responsible adults who assist with escorted
medical appointments, banking and other errands, transportation, and
socialization for the isolated client.
Additional transportation (with
wheelchair capability) is available.
These services are flexible and client-oriented, provided on a
pre-determined schedule or merely when and as needed. See the separate “Daisy Lady” tab for more
details.
Surrogate Family
Representation: Various
circumstances prevent a family from physically attending to the needs of a
client. As Care Manager, Anne will act
as a local liaison and agent, overseeing the situation and providing feedback
and information to a remote family. She
will deal with day-to-day decisions and emergencies on behalf of the client as
needed. Anne is on-call 24/7.
Professional Referrals: Frequently the needs of a client or family
extend well beyond care-giving - medical, legal, financial, estate,
insurance, and property issues are all involved. Assistance may be needed with
conservatorships, trusts, powers of attorney, money management, investments,
health insurance, and MediCal protection.
As conditions dictate, Anne will assemble and coordinate a team of
independent multi-disciplinary professionals familiar with the needs and
circumstances unique to seniors. No
financial connection exists between Anne and any of the other
professionals she may recommend. When
appropriate, the previous plans and suggestions of existing advisors will be
taken into account and incorporated into the new comprehensive care plan.
Transition Assistance: In cases where the client will be changing
location, whether moving from one home to another or to an assisted care
facility of some type, Anne can either provide a service directly or refer the
client to qualified third parties for assistance, including accessibility
remodeling, “downsizing” help, cleaning and repairs, or packing and moving.
Anne is uniquely
qualified to provide advice and assistance in order to optimize a client’s real estate
potential – determining a property’s value, salability, marketing approach,
maintenance needs, etc. Anne does not
provide direct real estate services - instead, she will refer the client to an
agent specially trained in senior representation and best qualified for the
sale of a particular property in a specific neighborhood.
Working with
professional colleagues in the area, Anne will oversee the choice of suitable
specialty nursing homes and senior housing choices – independent living,
continuum of care communities, assisted living, memory loss specialty
properties, board and care homes, skilled nursing facilities, and hospice. Often, respite attention at one of these
levels of care will enable a client to return home, ready to resume a quality
of life not expected should a change in care level prove to be too dramatic.
Anne Harbison
Lucas Services Inc. is a privately owned sole practice. For the peace of mind of clients, it is
important to note that Anne cooperates with a network of other certified
geriatric care managers in the Long Beach-South Bay area to assure continuous
service in the case of any emergency. We
are all available to help clients in the greater
_________________________
PROFESSIONAL CODE
OF ETHICS
Provisions of
Service: I will provide ongoing service to
you only after I have assessed your needs and you, or a person designated to
act for you, understand and agree to a plan of service, the results that may be
expected from it, and the cost of service.
Self-Determination: I will base my plan of service on goals you, or a person
designated to act for you, have defined, and which enhance the decisions you
have made concerning your life.
Cooperation: I will strive to ensure cooperation
between all of the individuals involved in providing service and care to you.
Referrals /
Disclosure: I will refer you only to services
and organizations I believe to be appropriate and of good quality. I will fully explain to you any business
relationship I have with any service I propose, and give you information on
alternatives, if at all possible, so that you, or a person designated to act
for you, can make an informed decision to accept or reject the services I
recommend to you.
Termination of
Service: I will end service to you only after reasonable
notice. I will recommend a plan for you
to continue to receive the services as needed.
Confidentiality: I will hold in trust any confidence you give me, disclosing
information to others only with your permission, or if I am compelled to do so
by a belief that you will be seriously harmed by my silence, or if the laws of
this State require me to do so.
Substitute
Judgment: I will not substitute my judgment
for yours unless I am acting in the role of your guardian, appointed by a Court
of Law, or with your approval, or the approval of someone designated to act for
you.
Loyalty: My first duty is loyalty to
you. I will always provide services
based on your best interest, even if this conflicts with my interests or the
interests of others.
Qualifications: I am fully qualified in my
profession to provide the services I undertake.
I continue to improve my skills and knowledge by participating in
professional development programs and maintaining certification and licensing
in my profession.
Discrimination: I will not promote or sanction any form of discrimination.
Standards of
Practice:
I
will provide all services in strict adherence to the guidelines proscribed in
the National Association of
Professional Geriatric Care Managers' Standards of Practice for Professional Geriatric Care
Managers.