Meet Geriatric Care Manager, Elizabeth!

Geriatric Care Manager of Kith Care, Elizabeth Dunleavy, has been helping older adults and their families find compassionate care for over 20 years. Serving the Philadelphia region and its surrounding suburbs, Elizabeth works regularly with residents and families of The Hearth at Drexel. Featured in the video above, Director of Sales and Marketing at The Hearth, Kylie Hood, sits down with Elizabeth who shares her professional experience in helping older adults and their loved ones find the care they need.

What is a geriatric care manager and how can they help you and your loved one?

A geriatric care manager is typically a licensed social worker or nurse who serves as a concierge in assisting older adults and their loved ones to identify what kind of care their family member needs and how to find it. Geriatric care managers specialize in making the life of you and your loved ones easier. They work with you to develop short and long-term care plans based on professional assessments so you and your family can find the care you need.

These assessments check on an individual’s physical health, mental well-being, cognitive functioning, home environment, social support system, finances and more. Depending on how involved family members would like a geriatric care manager to be, their services can continue even after care plans are established. “I can essentially be on tap when a family needs that extra support,” Elizabeth explains.

Typical services of a geriatric care manager include:

• Initial assessments of physical and emotional well-being and more
• Identifying care needs
• Creating short or long-term care plans
• Discussing difficult and complex topics with families
• Making home visits when needed to provide support in the absence of family members
• Selecting care personnel
• Coordinating medical services including doctor’s appointments and other medical needs
• Providing caregiver relief services

What are the benefits of utilizing a geriatric care manager? Why should I seek their services?

Services of a geriatric care manager really add support and bring relief to family members. Having a trusted professional who can listen to their loved one and find them the proper care, especially when the family member is not nearby or able to, brings peace of mind they otherwise may never have.

Elizabeth Dunleavy, geriatric care manager

Elizabeth’s services are especially beneficial for older adults whose families are located out of state or faraway from their loved one’s home. “For the families who aren’t nearby it’s comforting to have someone who can check on their loved one when they aren’t able to. For example, rather than hopping on a plane to fly across the country when Mom or Dad experiences a fall, I am there to assist them as needed,” she affirms.

Elizabeth’s services are also beneficial for families who simply don’t have as much time as they would like to care for their loved one. “Many people’s lives just don’t permit them the time to help their loved one, especially for working families. I serve as a surrogate of sorts to help the older adult and their family members,” she explains.