Men With Hammers

A famous writer supposedly said, "to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

That saying may be appropriate in the elder care field. The challenge for clients and their families is to understand the best course of action or treatment, instead of just the best choice services that are being offered by an individual or agency.

Sometimes the best care for the client involves several different approaches or disciplines. Perhaps it includes a combination of appropriate therapies, medicines, and counseling. Some providers may have good short-term solutions, but do not have the tools or experience needed to
achieve long-term improvement. Be cautious when the solution offered for a difficult condition or situation is simply more hammering, meaning increased dosages - of prescriptions, sessions, care providers, and the like.

Sometimes it's helpful to step back and re-evaluate. For those too close to a situation, or too emotionally involved, there are geriatric care professionals who will help clients and their families consider alternatives. Even within that group, though, you have to be careful that the professional is actually independent, and is not promoting their own care-giving services, or those of a related business.

In selecting a visiting nurse, geriatric care manager, or other professional, you would want to go through the same level of screening and reference-checking that you would with any other provider. For those with big budgets, there are the high-end concierge services. What one of my clients found was that they can work wonders with major medical issues, but their service and knowledge in a particular geographic area was not as strong as the best local providers.

In researching care managers, the National Association of Geriatric Care Managers might be a good place to start.