- Are you alone and concerned about who will help you when and if you need it?
- Are you facing countless care decisions as your loved one ages?
- Do you find your roles changing and more responsibilities being added to your plate?
- Is your aging loved one facing a crisis and you don’t know what to do?
- How will you care for them as their memory fades?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, or have other questions about caring for an aging loved one you haven’t found the answer to, you would benefit from the assistance of a professional care manager.
Coyle Care Management and Consulting focuses on helping older adults or their families who need help caring for themselves, their aging parents, grandparents, or another family member. Solo-Agers, those without family nearby to care for them or advocate for them, also benefit from our assistance. Using kindness and helping hands to work with clients and their families, solutions are beneficial to the entire family.
Meeting with you, and with your family and your loved one if others are involved, your unique situation is discussed and brief assessments conducted as appropriate. From that come recommendations and a plan of care for your own or your loved one’s current and future care needs.
If meeting in-person is not possible or desired, this initial meeting can be done virtually or via phone with multiple people involved.
Let’s discuss your situation and the options that are available. Call 920-740-8441 to discuss your situation with Sue Coyle.
Assessments & Care Plans
The process where aging life care managers gather information is called an assessment. The value of performing an initial assessment is that it provides a comprehensive overview of the client’s current situation and helps the care manager determine a path for the person’s care.
What does this look like?
- Determine safety with home accessibility, fall risk, and emergency preparedness.
- Determine “where to start” in the eldercare process.
- Assess the functional abilities and needs of the elder client, their caregivers, and their family.
- Provide a neutral and objective evaluation based on what the elder needs currently.
- Determine the well-being, cognition, and general health status.
- Determine the best level, type, and availability of senior living options whether it be home care, assisted living, or other living to provide the best elder care.
- Mediate family differences to ensure the best care options for the parent.
- Tailor the decisions to the individual’s status and needs.
- Solutions are comprehensive, not just problem-oriented.
After gathering this important information, your care manager works with the older adult and the family to decide on the plan for care and can help maintain the appropriate care options. A key factor is making sure that everyone involved is prepared to adapt as needed, and are ready for contingency plans for care. This care is a fluid process that moves with the needs of your aging family member.
Working together is a symbiotic relationship, focused on the needs of the elderly person and the entire family as they navigate the options available to them.
Call Sue, today, at 920-740-8441 to schedule a visit to review your current situation and care needs.
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Care Coordination
Care Coordination is the process where the care needs of your aging family member are managed by a care manager.
What does this look like?
- Assist in the set-up of services, equipment, caregivers, appointments, household work, etc.
- Be the liaison and “team leader” with other providers.
- Provide routine “wellness checks” to monitor status.
- Be the “extended family” to fill the void of distant family members or absence of support.
- Coordinate medical appointments and accompany as needed.
- Provide communication to distant family members.
- Investigate, set up, and tour potential alternate living facilities. This can be done with or without the client.
- Facilitate moves to/from home, assisted living, nursing facility, hospital, geographical relocation, and accompany you in travels in some cases.
- Research possible treatments, care facilities, programs, and services that might be beneficial.
For more information about how Coyle Care Management and Consulting can help you and your aging loved one, reach out to us today at 920-740-8441 or sue@coylecaremanagement.com.
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Advocacy & Support
An advocate is one who intercedes for or on behalf of another person.
What does this look like?
When you work with Coyle Care Management and Consulting, all of our work is in the best interests of our client, whether that is you or the aging family member. It’s important for your care manager to speak and coordinate on your behalf to make your wishes known and respected, and try to make them happen. Sometimes in the maze of Elder Care options, the availability, affordability, and knowledge of the resources can extremely limit one’s choices. As an Advocate for you, I’ll be sure that you know the best options and will help you to achieve them.
When you need a voice to support you, please reach out to me at 920-740-8441 or sue@coylecaremanagement.com.
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Caregiver Coaching
My desire to participate in caregiver coaching comes from years of working with families. The core support that family caregivers receive is very important to the aging loved one’s well-being. To holistically meet the needs of the Older Adult, the primary caregiver must be well and supported also. I enjoy the focus of finding the strengths and needs of the individual caregivers of the Older Adult and using those to help form a working care plan for all. It’s important for all caregivers to have a voice and to understand the options involved. This may sometimes involve helping many people with differing desires and views to reach a consensus. My ability to walk through this process with families often leads to a strong client and family bond in relation to the care for the Older Adult. It can often mean that the tasks of caregiving are dispersed among family members and/or other professionals, rather than falling on just one or two family members.
What does this look like?
- Provide a listening ear to all involved so that they know their role is respected and important.
- Assist families to determine the needs and challenges of the existing care giving situation.
- Share experiences and knowledge about their situation to help alleviate the burdens of guilt, frustration, fear, and overwhelm.
- Share practices, based on experience and knowledge of other families who have been in the same position, that will alleviate care giving burden.
- Guide families through the processes and systems of senior care programs.
- Help mediate family differences.
- Organize and create a contingency plan for changes or emergencies.
For more information about how Coyle Care Management and Consulting can help you and your aging loved one, click through the links on the left or contact us below.
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Community Involvement
Engaging in our community is an important part of Sue’s and Coyle Care Management and Consulting’s services. It shapes our values and keeps us informed about what our community needs.
What does this look like?
- Founding member and past chairperson of the Outagamie (county) Caregiver Coalition.
- Active participant and past leadership team member of the Fox Valley Senior Resource Network.
- Trained leader and facilitator for Stepping On Fall Prevention program and Strong Women strength training program.
- Past adjunct instructor and Advisory Committee member for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Fox Valley Technical College.
- Member of: Aging Life Care Association (ALCA), including past Midwest Chapter Board member; a local Estate Planning Council; and two area Resource/Networking groups geared toward Elder Care needs.
- Former Purple Angel Dementia Awareness Trainer.
- Former Chairperson and member of her parish’s Pastoral Council and active in many other church ministries.
- Frequent speaker regarding aging and/or caregiving topics.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a care manager?
A care manager is a health and human services professional, often a nurse, social worker, or therapist, who helps older adults and their families navigate the complexities of aging. They assess needs, create a plan of care, coordinate services, monitor what’s in place, and advocate for you or your loved one when family can’t be there. Think of them as a knowledgeable guide who knows the local landscape and works exclusively for you.
How is a care manager different from a home care agency?
A home care agency provides hands-on personal care: help with bathing, meals, companionship, and daily tasks. A care manager does something different. They assess, plan, coordinate, and advocate. They don’t provide the hands-on care themselves, but they figure out exactly what care is needed and make sure it actually happens. Many families work with both: a care manager overseeing the overall plan, and a home care agency carrying it out.
Who typically hires a care manager?
Often it’s an adult child who lives far away and can’t easily check in, or a family that’s overwhelmed and can’t do it all. Sometimes it’s an older adult arranging their own care, with no family nearby to call on. Sometimes it’s family members who disagree about what a parent needs and want an objective third party. Attorneys, trust officers, and financial advisors regularly refer clients who have more personal and health care issues than they can deal with on their own.
What does working with a care manager look like?
It usually starts with a phone call to talk through your situation and what’s worrying you most. If there’s a good fit, the next step is a comprehensive in-home assessment where the care manager meets with you or your loved one, reviews medical history, and evaluates daily functioning, safety, and social needs. From there, they develop a care plan and help put the right pieces in place. Many clients and families stay in touch with their care manager on an ongoing basis.
How do I know if I need a care manager?
You might benefit from a care manager if you’re concerned about your own care and well-being and want to know who will help when you need it. Or if you’re managing a parent’s care from a distance and can’t see what’s happening day-to-day. Or if there’s been a health crisis (a fall, a hospitalization, a new diagnosis) and you’re not sure what comes next. People also call when they feel overwhelmed, or sense something is wrong but aren’t sure what. If you’re asking the question, it’s worth a conversation.
