How can PGCMs assist family caregivers?
PGCMs assist families and caregivers in numerous ways. They conduct elder care-planning assessments to identify problems and to provide solutions; screen, arrange, and monitor in-home care or other services; provide short- or long-term assistance for caregivers living near or far away; review financial, legal, or medical issues and offer referrals to geriatric specialists; provide crisis intervention; act as a liaison to families involved in long distance caregiving, overseeing care, and quickly alerting families to problems; assist with moving an elder person to or from a retirement complex, assisted care home, or nursing home; provide consumer education and advocacy; offer counseling and support. Some PGCMs also provide family or individual therapy, finance management, conservatorship or guardianship assistance, and/or caregiving services.
