Top 10 Questions Asked

•  What is a Geriatric Care Manager?
•  A Geriatric Care Manager is a professional with specialized knowledge in seniorsí issues and care.  GCMs can be hired by individuals, families, lawyers, physicians, and others to perform a specific service, such as coordinating home care services, or for designing an individualized care plan and arranging for home care services, respite or relocation assistance.

 

• What can Geriatric Care Managers do for me?
•  A Geriatric Care Manager helps you navigate through the different services and programs available to seniors and caregivers.  They are your informed connection to community health care and support services.  GCMs perform in-depth assessments of an elderís physical, mental, social and environmental situation, design a plan to meet the needs identified in the assessment, implement the care plan and work to monitor  to ensure that the goals identified in the plan are being met.

 

• What is the Role of Community Care Access Centres (CCACs)?
•  Your local CCAC is a publically funded, provincial program designed to assist seniors in accessing care.  CCAC Case Managers will perform an assessment and, should the individual qualify for services, the Case Manager will arrange for publically funded services to be delivered to that individual.  CCACs coordinate and arrange for entrance into Long Term Care facilities.  For more information about CCAC services, visit your local CCAC or go to the London-Middlesex CCACís website at www.ccac.on.ca

 

• What kind of financial assistance programs are available to seniors?
• There are a variety of financial support programs available to seniors receiving care or services at home or in facilities.  Depending on the situation, seniors may be eligible for compensation for care services provided in retirement facilities and/or home care agencies.  There are also programs developed for seniors who need help financing renovations to their home which make the home more accessible, as well as assistance for seniors who need help with veterinarian bills.  For information on these and other financial assistance programs, visit our financial resources page.

 

• What is Long Term Care Insurance?
•  Long Term Care Insurance provides a daily benefit if you lose the ability to care for yourself, and require the services of a long term care facility or professional assistance at home.  Long Term Care Insurance gives you the financial resources to help you preserve your assets and your retirement savings. It offers you these advantages:
• An affordable way to pay the monthly cost of long term care
• Select care in the setting that is most convenient and suitable for your needs, or receive professional attention in your own home
• Helps you pay for medical expenses that may be only partially subsidized by provincial health plans
• Benefits paid directly to you, regardless of government health care aid you may receive
• A flexible range of plan benefits, options and premium payment choices so you can choose the plan thatís right for you
• Easy qualification requirements.

 

• What is the difference between public and private services?
•  Public care services for seniors is publically funded and available through your local CCAC chapter.  Based on the outcomes of an assessment performed by a Case Manager at the CCAC, seniors may be eligible for certain hours of public care provided through home care agencies, or long term care facilities. Private care is care which is paid out of pocket by the individual or family.  Seniors living in private long term care facilities and retirement homes may still be eligible for public assistance programs.

 

• What is the difference between Assistive/supportive living and independent retirement residences?
•  The level of care available.  Independent retirement residences frequently expect their residents to be able to get around, dress, bathe and feed themselves with no assistance.  They typically provide housekeeping and laundry services, meals and daily activities. Assistive and supportive seniors housing includes a higher level of nursing care and support.

 

• What types of regulations / standards are long term care homes and retirement homes mandated to have?
•  Long term care facilities are monitored and regulated by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.  Regular audits are completed by the Ministry on these facilities, and the reports on the findings are publically available through the Ministryís site, your local CCAC, and frequently through the individual facilityís website.  Retirement residences and assistive / supportive housing currently are not Ministry regulated or monitored.  Many retirement residences are accredited under ORCA, which mandates certain levels of expectation and performance, but this is not a requirement.  Until the Province completes its assessment and reform of this sector, it is buyer beware.  It is a good idea to check with the Better Business Bureau before renting.

 

• My mother has Alzheimerís Disease and has been wandering.  What services are available for her outside of a nursing home?
•  While long term care facilities have come a long way in their design and the services/amenities they offer, many still are very resistant to the thought of living in a ìnursing homeî.  Many retirement residences now offer early memory loss care on secure floors, which have been specially designed to meet the needs of the individual experiencing early stages Alzheimerís. 

 

• How do I Talk to Mom and Dad about moving into a Retirement Residence?
•  Having ìthe discussionî can be very hard on both the family and the older individual.  If the elder is resistant to change, does not want to move or for other reasons is resistant to the idea, a GCM can help to run interference.  GCMs often have social work training allowing them to handle delicate situations which require sensitivity.  Many families find their mom or dad agreeable to the discussion if they perceive that they are in control of their situation.  Do not force or trap your parents, ask for their advice, take them to tour the various residences with you, give them choice in the matter as to which home they like.  If mom or dad perceive that the decision has been forced upon them, they will feel belittled and undervalued, and will not be happy no matter which home is chosen.