Care Management

Eldercare Consulting services provide advice and direction on how to navigate life’s challenges as we age. We work directly with older adults and their families to develop a plan to address a family’s specific needs. Our work begins with an assessment of the older adult and their current living environment. We then develop both recommendations and a strategy focused on how best to meet the changing needs of the older adult.

We offer assistance in the following areas:

Home Safety Assessment
Assembling resources in order to maintain independence as long as possible
Creating The Dementia Friendly Home℠
Improvement of Quality of Life/Well Being
To Move or Not to Move?
In home care versus assisted or skilled care
Financial considerations
Socialization/Isolation concerns
Environmental/Geographic Issues
Coordination with adult children or other family members living at a distance
Accompany older adults to routine doctor’s appointments
Ongoing support and advice for the parent(s) and/or adult children as changes are implemented
Monitor the status and well being of the older adult when family or friends are not available
Providing referrals to elder law attorneys, accountants, financial services professionals, etc., when applicable.

“The Talk,” have you had it yet?

The Talk is that conversation most families try desperately to avoid, yet its necessity doesn’t go away. We are referring to the discussion that adult children and their parents need to have, preferably sooner than later. As adult children, you may not know your parents’ wishes, preferences, and/or desires as they age, largely because it is sometimes difficult to inquire. At Sage Solutions, we encourage this exploration and can act as facilitators of these often delicate conversations.

We are trained in the field of elder and family mediation, but prefer to call our service, Facilitated Family Conversations. Once engaged, we perform an initial intake with each family member involved and then we gather together, either in person or via video or telephone conferencing, and begin to put the salient issues on the table, one by one. This collaborative, consensus-building process allows each person to be heard, and creates a working, livable plan that ultimately best serves the older adult. Often families wait and don’t have The Talk – until a crisis occurs and emotions are running high. When in crisis our options are often limited due to time constraints and the need to make immediate decisions. Planning is key, and it is never too early to start the process.

Family Conversation topics can include, but are not limited to:

Where do your parents want to live as they get older?
What is their current financial position?
Is their living environment safe and secure?
How will their care be paid for?
Do they have a living will, durable power of attorney, etc.?
If and when your parents need assistance with transportation, financial, legal, and direct care, how will these functions be delegated? Is everyone on board? Will formal, paid caregivers be put in place?
Is there tension among the adult children/siblings?
Are there adult children living at a distance?
Are there issues of memory impairment that need to be considered?

Caregiver Support

Sage Solutions offers caregiver support and training for caregivers. Under the umbrella of caregiving, there are typically two categories: one is called “formal” caregiving and the other, “informal.” Formal caregivers are paid employees, whereas informal are unpaid, usually family members or friends.

For Informal Caregivers:

Often the task of informal caregiving is carried out by a family member: a spouse, an adult child, or sometimes a grandchild. We provide training and education on the changing nature of the aging process, both physically and cognitively. We then relate these changes to the family member in need of care by developing strategies for both the caregiver(s) and the older adult through a “partnership of care”. The older adult is carefully assessed in terms of his or her abilities, wants and needs. A thoughtful and creative plan is then created with the primary goal of increasing the well being of the older adult and the caregiver. Enhancing quality of life/well being and reducing stress is at the heart of each and every course of action.

For Formal Caregivers:

Formal caregivers are those individuals who provide care for older adults living in their own homes, in a skilled facility, or in an assisted living facility. There are many different categories of formal caregivers, but a few examples would be nurses, CNAs, PCAs, Home Health Aides, etc. Keeping in mind that the formal caregiver is limited in the amount of time spent with any one client, we teach strategies to supplement or enhance programming within the facility. Based up years of experience and training, we have developed numerous creative techniques for approaching the wellness needs of the elder. Never letting go of the concept of the “partnership of care,” our goal is to preserve, and ultimately enhance the caregiving unit consisting of the older adult and the caregiver. Many stress reduction strategies that work well for the elder will work equally well for staff. Caregiver burnout is not to be underestimated; our goal, therefore, is to infuse wellness and self care into every strategy we employ.