May 2000
Range of Services for Older Adults Offered by Senior Care Management

Longevity is on the rise. More people are living to advanced ages than ever before. Good news ? especially when their health remains intact, and they can continue productive, active lives.

This is not always the case, however; and health problems for the increasing number of older adults have generated a rapidly growing business - geriatric care management. That is: organizations that specialize in assisting older adults and their families with long-term care arrangements and that both provide and coordinate needed services.

Such an organization is Senior Care Management at 261 Upper Ferry Road, Ewing, NJ which opened in 1990.

"When we started, there were six care management centers in New Jersey. Now there are 65," says co-owner and director Janice McCurdy, LCSW. "Our purpose is to enable people to stay at home and improve their quality of life, helping them to do what they want to do."

30 Years Experience
Both Ms. McCurdy and co-owner and director Barbara Bristow, LCSW, are licensed clinical social workers, and together they have more than 30 years experience in geriatrics and social work.

Ms. Bristow has developed rehabilitation and treatment programs and case management services for older people in both community and institutional settings, and served as an administrator at the Hagedorn Center of Geriatrics.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Central New Jersey Alzheimer's Association and a past board member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. She is also a collaborating author of the book Recapturing Competence: From Custodial Care to Rehabilitation and Treatment.

Ms. McCurdy, a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, has served as the Director of Social Work at several New Jersey facilities providing long-term care. Most recently, she was director of Social Work at the Hagedorn Center for Geriatrics. A certified gerontologist, she is the president of the New Jersey Chapter of Geriatric Care Managers, and past vice-president of the Central New Jersey Alzheimer"s Association.

"We had both worked for the state in geriatrics, and there was a lot being written about the difficulties people were encountering finding services for aging parents," recalls Ms. McCurdy.

Adds Ms. Bristow: "We saw a need for independent, knowledgeable professionals to guide and support families in helping their older relatives. It is a goal for many older people to stay at home, and we offer a very personalized service to help them do this."

Ms. Bristow and Ms. McCurdy also arrange for home health aides, who provide personal care services, medication supervision, meal preparation, and assistance with household tasks.

Supervised by a registered nurse, aides do the hands-on care, such as helping with eating, bathing, grooming, reminding the client to get dressed, etc. Often, strong attachments are formed between client and professional.

"The people we serve are usually in their eighties and nineties, and chronically ill," explains Ms. Bristow. "Some live alone, and some with adult children who work. They are often recovering from a stroke or suffering from Alzheimer's."

"Sometimes, the biggest challenge is getting people to accept the services. They want to remain independent, and it can be hard for them to accept help and recognize they need it. A specialty for us is dementia care, which requires specific training. Proper training and patience are very important for people who care for patients, and there are also support groups for Alzheimer's patients and families, the second Wednesday of every month.

"We have a full complement of services and a very well trained staff," adds Ms. McCurdy. "All our aides are certified, and the training is on-going. We have three social workers, one nurse, two office workers and 30 home health aides, and we cover all of Mercer County."

"In addition to our other services, we can be appointed guardians of legally incapacitated people to manage their financial affairs when there is no one in their home to do it. The court oversees the guardianship."

The needs of patients vary, as do the costs. Long-term health insurance can pay toward the cost, and what is especially helpful about Senior Care Management is that it is, in a sense, one-stop shopping. "A care manager will know all the services in their community, and the cost and quality of those services, and we supervise all cases. Some of our clients have been with us for eight years," point out Ms. Bristow and Ms. McCurdy.

It helps, too, to have a compassionate understanding of those no longer young, whose lives are mostly behind them, and who deserve respect and dignity.

"They have interesting stories to tell," notes Ms. Bristow, "and it's wonderful to be able to serve people in this way. We have dedicated ourselves to this work."

"This is very rewarding. It is truly worthwhile," agrees Ms. McCurdy. "It is what we want to do."

Senior Care Management's hours are Monday through Friday 9 to 4:30. (609) 882-0322. It's website is: www.seniorcaremgt.com.

Personal Care
Senior Care Management both coordinates and provides care, including an initial assessment of the older person's needs and the family's concerns; a care plan that recommends appropriate services and supports; arrangement and coordination of services, referrals, and assistance with government programs when necessary; continued monitoring of the older adult; and liaison and support for family members who live away.