It seems like more and more of us each day are struggling with caring for aging parents, and some of the concerns have changed nature due to increasing economic concerns. In response to this, we tweaked our services a little recently to help people get some immediate assistance and expertise in a way that was simple and affordable. By offering in office or telephonic consultation appointments for a fixed cost, caregivers can get advice, a toolkit and move forward feeling a lot more comfortable that they know where to begin (or how to keep going). Being able to do things via telephone and with the assistance of electronic communication, means being able to help caregivers anywhere.

David Zoll had a great article on Huffington Post yesterday regarding watching over aging parents and particularly worries about their "health literacy" and how to ensure their safety and wellbeing from afar in navigating their medical needs. This is a great policy and research overview as well as expression of views and opinions. Having been in the trenches of professional care management, I have seen the difference this profession makes, as he mentions.

Its a good time of year to start thinking about home safety..."spring cleaning" for our home and our personal safety. No matter our age, extra clutter, throw rugs, environmental hazards, can lead to accidents. As we get older, though, the results of the accidents can affect us more so its worth a closer look. One day, we might all live in "aging friendly" homes but right now a lot of us to a lot of reaching, stepping in to slipper tubs, and climbing on chairs to get to out of reach places.

Today I enjoyed meeting with a local AARP chapter and providing some information about geriatric care management. Once again, I was not surprised that only one person raised her hand when I asked if anyone had ever heard of geriatric care management. I make it my mission to try to get more hands raised when that question is asked, so people at least know it is an option. With so many people caregiving, we all need to know the resources.

The group had good questions and many of the same concerns I hear often. We especially talked a lot about issues like knowing you have picked a good doctor and concerns about care quality. One gentleman expressed his concern about being admitted to a hospital on a weekend due to perceived care issues. There is some empirical evidence to back him up, so his worry is not without merit, though a lot of hospitals have worked hard on this issue. It is a good issue to focus on, though--getting linked with the best professionals and best quality of care make a big difference.