The Role of Care Management in these Most Challenging Times
by Gail Arno, CMC, ECM Director of Care Management
Your concerns… our solutions. Such a wonderful and lofty opportunity we envisioned and we repeatedly accomplished with our care management services, until a major pandemic came to be and things changed for everyone.
Care management for us is about person-centered care and sculpting the services and support for our clients on a very individualized basis. We look not only at the person in front of us at this current moment in time but we also take in the details of their history, of a lifetime lived in full scale. We then develop a plan of care for that specific individual and we put in place the support that will allow them to continue on safely, contentedly, and as individually as possible. No one client is the same and their needs are not the same as the next so we get the opportunity to focus on their specific and personalized needs and we make it our job to make sure those needs get met. We go to great lengths to identify gaps and then utilize all the resources available to the maximum possible.
With the interruption and inconvenience of the worldwide virus we all are facing our efforts and plans to support our clients with their person-centered care has admittedly had some interruptions and inconveniences. Our concerns for each and every one of our seniors are multiplied at this time; we worry about isolation, depression, the physical impacts of being unable to access services and support that we know to be crucial to their well-being and success. As care managers we are continually fighting for the chance to serve and support our clients both in facilities and at home, much of this now done from a distance which at times can be less than fulfilling but it gets the job done. At the same time, we are keenly aware of the overriding safety precautions that are a must for everyone and so we follow the guidelines set forth by the CDC and our local government.
We would contend however that with some of the bad comes new and great opportunities;
- Improved technical skills with the use of all that technology brings to each of us (Like it or not!)
- More focus on identifying depression and fighting for the value of social interaction (For all of us)
- Greater respect for self-care and not taking the little things for granted
- Recognizing the urgency of getting our legal affairs in order
- Better, stronger, and closer family and friend relationships
We will continue to put our best care management foot forward and work with the wrinkles that arise in everyday life from those things large and small. We don’t know what the future will hold, but we will continue to focus on making sure that our clients get access to the support and resources needed for their utmost physical and mental well-being. For Elder Care Management it is the person that is the center of our universe and we will continue to work toward making sure their needs are met to the very best of our abilities. Thank you for having confidence in us to honor and support your loved ones.