Services and support provided by The Care Navigator are broad in scope. Below are general descriptions and examples of client situations to provide you with an idea of the type of services and coordination of care we offer. Many of the situations have been changed to protect the privacy of the client.
Description of Guardianship:
For individuals who have no family, when family exists but feels unable to serve or when family members prefer to have an outside party act in the role of guardian, The Care Navigator is appointed by the court to act in this capacity. Guardian is a higher level of responsibility than medical durable Power of Attorney because the person with a guardian is usually mentally incapacitated and unable to make their own decisions. As guardian, The Care Navigator is responsible for the total well being of the person and their daily living situation.
Example of a Situation needing Guardianship:
Mary Smith has dementia and lives alone. She has difficulty managing her medications, has lost weight and frequently misses medical appointments. Mail is stacked in piles all over the house. Mary mentions children who help but it doesn't seem like anyone has visited in quite some time. She had a car accident a week ago and while the car appears drivable, it's questionable whether Mary should still be driving due to health conditions and memory loss. It is questionable whether Mary should continue living alone in her home without support and assistance. A referral was made to The Care Navigator who worked with adult protective services to investigate the issue. No family was available or willing to serve. The Care Navigator was appointed as Guardian to manage Mary's health and day to day needs.
Please call us today to discuss if Guardianship may be right for you and your family.
For more services visit Guardianship, Financial Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Personal Representative, Case Manager or Care Navigator
Other examples of how The Care Navaigator can help:
- Bill paying for an adult child who is Power of Attorney for his parents but who does not have the time to review mail, pay bills and coordinate paperwork.
- Completion of annual income tax returns for clients who need assistance in gathering information and delivering to a CPA to complete the taxes.
- We serve as an advocate for children living out of town who have parents living in independent, assisted living, memory care and nursing homes. We visit on a requested schedule, attend care conferences and medical appointments, purchase personal needs items and send reports back to the adult children. We also provide general oversight and go to the emergency room when an unexpected event occurs that requires information and an advocate.
- We act as an impartial source of information in family situations where there is significant disagreement about the care needs of parents or a loved one. In these situations we provide education and in some cases coordination of care for parents so that families can be “families” and not serve as caregivers or task providers.
- We complete and coordinate Medicaid applications for clients including identifying Medicaid care communities when this need exists.
- We coordinate long term care insurance policies and initiate claims for individuals who are unfamiliar with the paperwork or the process to implement a claim. We will review the policy, initiate the claim and complete the paperwork. We also provide information to clients wishing to change insurance a year end or apply for Medicare B or D.
- We support individuals who realize it’s time to move to an assisted living but who are too overwhelmed by the task of selling their home, eliminating excess property and who are unsure of the type of community they need. In these cases we review medical and financial needs to determine a care community that will be a good long term match and help coordinate all the details to complete the move. In many of these cases we remain involved with the older adult to monitor medical and related care after the move. ***
- We provide daily, weekly or monthly oversight of care needs. We work with clients who are living independently but want support managing in home care providers and coordinating other services be it health or property related. We set up lawn care, coordinate home repairs, and any projects necessary to allow individuals to remain independent at home.
- We attend medical appointments, collect and coordinate medical records and medication lists between providers and oversee general care.
- All other services are by request.
*** We are not a free referral or placement agency. We do not accept or require referral fees from companies and communities with whom we work. We work in the best interest of our clients. Refer to article "State Gets Tough on Referrals for Eldercare" in our folder.