Helping navigate care.
Geriatric care has become a national focus due to the increasing amount of baby boomers entering their senior years. The explosion of the nursing home market, along with ever increasing government regulations, require well informed and educated management personnel to keep up with the growing geriatric population. Geriatric care management includes medicine, legal planning, psychology, financial planning, ethics and business administration. To become a geriatric care manager, you should be a registered nurse or a licensed social worker with significant skills in geriatric care.
Defining a Geriatric Care Manager
The complexities of eldercare require a specialist.
A geriatric care manager is someone who has special training in regards to assisting older people and their families with all types of care arrangements such as long-term care, assisted living information, legal considerations, accessing social services within their community and any needed counseling services.
Educational Requirements for Geriatric Care Managers
A bachelor's degree is not required, but preferred.
Many employers prefer to hire geriatric care managers who have a bachelor's degree in a health-related field. Currently, there are no state or national licensing requirements to work as a geriatric care manager, but you can obtain certification in geriatric care management by taking a variety of online classes which may include courses relating to aging, legal/ethical issues and financial management.
Certification Programs
Get certified.
Certification consists of assuring a level of professional practice by establishing core training and educational level to measure and evaluate each care manager in an independent way. One such organization is the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. This association recognized the need to have a basis for establishing the application of geriatric care management as a specialized profession and feel that certification is the center of this process.
Training Program Completion Timeframes and Curriculum Types
The training timeframe is two years.
A certificate program specialized in geriatric care management can be completed in two years. Courses focus on legal, business and ethical aspects of eldercare in the undergraduate area. Graduate level program courses may include clinical rotation but this may be waived if the student is working within the areas of eldercare in retirement communities, hospitals or long-term care type facilities.
Additional Skills and Training
Geriatric care managers should be trained in skills aimed at developing interpersonal relationships with both clients and their families. Additionally, they should be educated and trained in documentation and verbal communication as well as problem solving and organizational skills. Geriatric care managers should have the ability to work independently with a strong commitment to geriatric care and advocacy.
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