How to Find a Geriatric Care Manager — And Why This Person Might Be the Most Valuable Call You Make
Educational Review: Her Parents Help Editorial Team
Content Type: Research-Informed Caregiver Support
🇪🇸 Versión en Español disponible aquí → Cómo encontrar un administrador de cuidado geriátrico — y por qué esta persona puede ser la llamada más valiosa que hagas
Introduction
You do not have to figure this all out alone. There is a professional whose entire job is to help you do exactly what you are doing.
You are managing doctor's appointments, medication lists, insurance calls, family disagreements, safety concerns, and your own exhaustion — all while trying to figure out what your parent actually needs and what options even exist.
What if there was a professional whose entire job was to help you navigate exactly this?
There is. They are called geriatric care managers — also known as aging life care professionals — and they may be one of the most underused resources in all of caregiving.
This article is going to tell you what they do, who they are, when you need one, and how to find a good one.
What Is a Geriatric Care Manager?
A geriatric care manager is a health and human services professional — typically a licensed social worker, nurse, or gerontologist — who specializes in helping older adults and their families navigate the complexities of aging and care.
Think of them as a personal guide through the caregiving system. Someone who knows what resources exist, how to access them, what questions to ask, and how to coordinate care across multiple providers and settings.
They work independently — they are not employed by hospitals, insurance companies, or care facilities, which means their advice is not influenced by those relationships. Their job is to work for you and your parent.
What Geriatric Care Managers Do
The scope of what a geriatric care manager can help with is remarkably broad:
Assessment:
Conduct a comprehensive assessment of your parent's physical, cognitive, emotional, and functional status
Identify care needs that may not be obvious — even to the family
Evaluate the home environment for safety
Care planning:
Develop a personalized care plan based on your parent's specific needs and wishes
Identify the right level of care — home care, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing
Help families understand all available options
Coordination:
Coordinate between doctors, specialists, home health aides, and other providers
Attend medical appointments with your parent or on your behalf
Serve as the central point of communication for the entire care team
Crisis management:
Help families navigate sudden changes — a hospitalization, a fall, a rapid decline
Identify emergency resources and options quickly
Family support:
Facilitate difficult family conversations and help resolve disagreements about care
Provide guidance and support to long distance caregivers
Help caregivers understand what to expect as the situation evolves
Resource connection:
Identify community resources, benefits, and programs your family may not know about
Help navigate Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance coverage
Connect families with legal and financial professionals when needed
When Do You Need a Geriatric Care Manager?
You do not have to be in crisis to benefit from a geriatric care manager. Consider reaching out if:
You are overwhelmed and do not know where to start
You are a long distance caregiver trying to coordinate care from far away
Your parent has complex medical needs that involve multiple specialists
Your family disagrees about care decisions and needs a neutral professional perspective
You are trying to figure out what level of care your parent needs
Your parent has just been diagnosed with dementia or another progressive condition
A hospitalization or health crisis has changed your parent's care needs
You need help navigating the transition to assisted living or a nursing facility
You are the sole caregiver and burning out
Many families wait until a crisis to call a geriatric care manager. The families who involve them earlier — before the crisis — tend to navigate the caregiving journey with significantly less chaos and significantly better outcomes.
How to Find a Qualified Geriatric Care Manager
Start with the Aging Life Care Association. The Aging Life Care Association at aginglifecare.org is the professional organization for geriatric care managers. Their website has a searchable directory that allows you to find certified professionals in your area. Members of this organization have met specific education and experience requirements and adhere to a professional code of ethics.
Ask for referrals. Your parent's primary care physician, a hospital social worker, or a local elder law attorney may be able to recommend a geriatric care manager they have worked with and trust. Personal referrals from professionals in the field carry real weight.
Contact your local Area Agency on Aging. The Eldercare Locator at eldercare.acl.gov or 800-677-1116 can connect you with your local Area Agency on Aging, which may have a list of vetted geriatric care managers in your community.
Ask the right questions when you call:
What are your credentials and how long have you been practicing?
What is your specialty area — medical, social work, dementia care?
Are you a member of the Aging Life Care Association?
What does an initial assessment involve and how long does it take?
What are your fees and do you offer a sliding scale?
How do you communicate with families — phone, email, regular reports?
Can you provide references from current or past clients?
What Does a Geriatric Care Manager Cost?
Geriatric care managers typically charge by the hour. Rates vary significantly by location and level of expertise — generally ranging from $100 to $300 per hour or more in high-cost areas.
An initial comprehensive assessment typically takes two to four hours. Ongoing care management is billed based on the hours of service provided each month.
Most geriatric care manager fees are paid privately — they are not typically covered by Medicare or standard health insurance. However, some long-term care insurance policies do cover these services. It is worth checking your parent's policy if they have one.
While the cost can feel significant, families who work with geriatric care managers often find that the professional guidance prevents costly mistakes — wrong care placements, missed benefits, unnecessary hospitalizations — that far exceed the cost of the service itself.
A Note for Long Distance Caregivers
If you live far from your parent, a geriatric care manager can be especially valuable. They can serve as your local eyes and ears — conducting regular check-ins, attending appointments, and keeping you informed about changes in your parent's condition.
For many long distance families, knowing that a trusted professional is monitoring their parent's wellbeing and advocating for their needs provides an enormous sense of relief and peace of mind.
The Bottom Line
You are not supposed to know everything about aging, medicine, the legal system, the insurance system, care facilities, and family dynamics all at once. Nobody is.
A geriatric care manager knows these things so you do not have to figure them out alone. They have walked this road with hundreds of families. They know what to look for, what questions to ask, and what options exist.
Making this call might be the most important thing you do for your parent — and for yourself — this year.
Has this article been helpful? Her Parents Help has more resources to support you through every part of the caregiving journey. Visit our full resource library for guides, checklists, and honest information.
The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or legal advice.
Her Parents Help is part of Her Midlife Wellness Help — one woman, two of life's biggest challenges, one trusted resource. hermidlifewellnesshelp.com
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References & Sources
Aging Life Care Association. Find a Care Manager. aginglifecare.org
National Institute on Aging. Getting Help with Care — Geriatric Care Managers. nia.nih.gov
AARP. What Is a Geriatric Care Manager? aarp.org
Family Caregiver Alliance. Hiring In-Home Help. caregiver.org
Eldercare Locator. eldercare.acl.gov