Articles & Real-Life Stories: Care Management

Title: A Resource Available 24/7

By: Lauren Searson

Preview: While Geriatric Care Managers are there to help guide individuals through what can be a complex world of retirement resources, there are times when they step in as a source of comfort and feel like family in tough times. That is most likely what one client would say of Arlene Saks Martin, LCSW...

Title: Having a Resource and Friend to Turn to

Preview: Hal Ely could never forget that day at the bowling alley when he met Kay, the woman that would become his future wife of nearly 50 years. "I kept making strikes that day," he said with a laugh. "I went over and showed her and her friend how to score for two strikes in a row." Eventually th...

Title: Maintaining a Positive Outlook

By: Lauren Searson

Preview: Anyone who knows 87-year-old Shirley Gantz can see that nothing will change her positive outlook. "My cup runneth over," she said, when asked about her life, "I have felt so blessed." As she attributes this fortune of her life to the people and things that have always been there when she ne...

Title: Planning Events to Remember

Preview: Every year around his birthday, Robert Pitt hosts a dinner party for his family, friends and now caregivers. This year was no exception. On a rainy Friday night in January, 60 guests arrived one by one at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, D.C. The room looked regal adorned with spring flowe...

Title: Looking Out for Family

Preview: Sometimes the most compassionate family members aren't the ones related to you by blood. In the case of Edward Fitzpatrick, a very special friend was the one who stepped up to handle his medical and financial affairs when he was diagnosed with cancer. "This man was virtually an adopted uncl...

Title: Finding the Help You Need

By: Guide to Retirement Living Staff

Preview: "I enjoy my life. At 92, I think I'm doing really well," says Harriette Russell. In her nearly 100 years, Mrs. Russell has faced her share of challenges. She points out that the most important thing one can do during difficult times is "find good help." Mrs. Russell was living with her husb...

Title: Alzheimer's Association Offers Hope to Caregivers

By: Evelyn McLay

Preview: For the past thirteen years, I have been answering the Helpline at the Greater Maryland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. It is one of the most important jobs I have ever had. When I come to the office each Thursday morning, I am greeted by caring staff members, who have helped me grow as a...

Title: Finding the Care Needed

Preview: Long-time Towson residents, Lucille and Charles Quinan raised their children in the area and spent most of their 68 years of marriage in the same house. The couple met and married when Lucille was just 16. Later, Charles began working as an insurance agent for the Life Insurance Company of Virgi...

Title: Realizing You are not Alone

Preview: "A complex situation often cannot be handled by a single individual." This is the conclusion that Mrs. Suzanne Newhall reached when contemplating how she might manage her health problems, yet be able to remain in her beloved home on the Main Line. Mrs. Newhall, a former science librarian at...

Title: Keeping Everyone In the Loop

Preview: Richard Alper describes his father, Morton, as an "unusual dentist." He explains, "My father was a dentist, but he was interested in much more than just dentistry. He liked history and politics and was an accomplished public speaker." Morton Alper was active in the Kiwanis Club and rose to the...

Title: Making Sure Your Voice Is Heard

Preview: Maintaining your identity and independence, as well as the right of self-determination, is crucial to most of us. Sometimes we lose our ability to be heard due to the illness, disease, or exhaustion that may accompany aging. A Geriatric Care Manager can serve as an important advocate. Libby ...

Title: Turning to a Geriatric Care Manager

By: Guide to Retirement Living Staff

Preview: Ann and Stefan Hoffer were both working full-time at the Federal Aviation Administration and raising two teenage boys when Stefan's father passed away and his mother moved in to their home. Mrs. Hoffer had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but Ann and Stefan did not realize how far the disease ha...

Title: Assisted Living Communities Put Uneasy Minds to Rest

Preview: Jean Ann Yocum sums up how she felt when her elderly parents became increasingly frail and housebound: "I was a basket case." Her mother, Jennie, 84, suffered from severe arthritis. Her father, Frank, 83, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidne...