The aging process
is a long road.
A Geriatric Care Manager
can help you navigate it.
Tara Cunningham • BSN RN
Extra Mile Aging
My Story - How Geriatric Care Management Found Me!
As a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN RN) I spent much of my career working in acute care hospital settings. My professional roles have also included Geriatric Care Coordinator within a hospital, and I now have my own business as a Geriatric Care Manager working in the homes of my clients.
What drew me to the field of Geriatric Care is the seniors themselves. I always enjoyed listening to their "stories". I found wisdom and many of life's most important lessons reflected within their personal tales.
I also became keenly aware of how much society has changed with regard to our elders. Different generations within families are now living separately, rather than in one multi-generational home. Many elders have loving, concerned adult children who are still working, or who live too far away to directly care for their loved one. Seniors are also living so much longer that their children may nearly be elders themselves when their parents need greater assistance to remain at home.
With seniors living longer, frequently living alone, and with members of their extended families unable to provide adequate support and care, where can they find help? That's where I come in.
What is a Geriatric Care Manager?
In short, a GCM specializes in all aspects of elder care: safety, transportation, nutrition, medication, shopping and support. As an RN, I bring added value to the GCM role through my knowledge of diseases, the disease process, and each disease's natural trajectory. My medical/nursing perspective is an invaluable tool in obtaining the right care at the right time for your loved one.
My Approach - Listen with Compassion, Then Act.
My approach to Geriatric Care Management is to be a compassionate advocate for the elder and his or her family. First and foremost, I LISTEN to my senior clients. What are their wishes? How do they envision themselves living in their remaining years?
Next, I help to facilitate the sometimes-difficult conversations that need to occur in order for the senior's wishes to be heard and the families' concerns to be addressed.
Only then can we develop a plan for short- and long-term care that works for all parties involved. Implementing effective, optimal, compassionate care for an elder is an evolving process. My goal is to enable your loved one to live life safely, and as they wish to live, until the very end.
