Description of Power of Attorney:
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.
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 power of attorney, The Care Navigator acts as power of attorney. Relative to financial this means managing all money and property of the client. Relative to medical this means being responsible for the health and well being of the client. In these capacities we coordinate financial and medical arrangements including medical appointments and related services. We may also be responsible for assisting in identifying a care community, selling the client’s home and completing the move.
Example of a Situation for Power of Attorney:
Denise lives alone with her dog and cat. Her husband passed away two years ago and was the major organizer in their lives. Denise's sister has children and works full time; while she cares about her sister she cannot be the caregiver or the organizer. Denise enjoys spending money on books and stuffed animals which fill her house. Denise's physician is concerned about her health, multiple medications, not eating and drinking properly and short term memory loss. A referral was made to The Care Navigator. It was agreed by all parties that a Case Manager was needed who could also serve as medical and financial power of attorney to coordinate medical care for Denise and ensure that bills are paid and a budget established.
If you need help with establishing a power of attorney for financial or medical please give us a call today.
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.