A. H. L. Services, Inc.
Our goal is to help you move on – however that
evolves for you.
We are your:
Evaluator of Status - A Comprehensive Assessment identifies preventative steps, puts in place
measures to assure continuity of care
for short and long-term circumstances, and empowers family caregivers to deal with daily burdens and
decision-making. The assessment addresses
physical, mental, social, financial, and legal concerns.
Advocate for the Client - Anne will monitor and adapt to changing care
needs, in close communication with family and other professionals.
Coordinator of Benefits and Services
- Anne and her staff will help you select the best
care givers, services, and benefits to meet your loved one’s unique
requirements.
Support Companion - AHL Services will provide “Driving Ms. Daisy”
companions for support and social opportunities; we do not offer full-time home
care but we will supervise licensed personnel.
A wheelchair-equipped van is available.
Problem Solver - Anne is available seven days a week and evenings
to answer pressing questions and to help resolve problems as they occur - for
out-of-area or busy adult children and clients, as emergencies or schedules
dictate.
Mediator/Negotiator - Caregiving stresses and differences of opinion
among family members are common barriers to good care. We are skilled at dealing with these unaddressed
“Elephants in the Room,” and we can also refer you to more specialized help.
Agent for Change - You and your loved ones may need professional
referrals to the best and most affordable Counselors, Care Facilities,
Realtors, Medical Equipment Retailers, Elder Law Attorneys, Financial Planners,
Insurance Agents, Home Health and Home Care, Hospice and more. Anne will provide you with tailored referrals
or will work with your existing team of professionals. In order to retain professional integrity and
objectivity, and to avoid any potential conflict of interest, AHL Services,
Inc. does not sell anything and has no
fiduciary relationship with any referral.
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
° °
GERIATRIC CARE
MANAGEMENT
As a professional Certified Geriatric Care Manager,
She is also a member of the National
Care Planning Council (http://www.longtermcarelink.net/index.html),
the Estate Planning & Trust Council
of Long Beach, the Alzheimer’s Foundation
of America (http://www.alzfdn.org/), the
Dementia Care Professionals of America,
and the Senior Resource Alliance of Los
Angeles / Orange Counties (http://www.srala-oc.com/).
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.
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. The 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 provide the overall coordination of all
services. Anne is not 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” companions – mature,
responsible adults who assist with escorted medical appointments, banking and
other errands, transportation, and socialization for the isolated client. Additional transportation to and from
specific destinations (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 simple 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 or fiduciary
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 optimizing a client’s real estate
potential – determining a property’s value, salability, marketing approach,
maintenance needs, etc. Anne does not
provide real estate services herself; rather, 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”:
(http://www.caremanager.org/associations/2914/files/Standards02_09.pdf).