Special Report first published in 
Getting Help For Aging Parents
You’ve got a university degree, have negotiated the sale and purchase of your home and have planned vacations to Mexico with the precision of a tactical team commander. Is there anything you can’t do, any problem too big for you to solve?
Quite possibly…
When it comes time to find help for your aging parents, navigating the legal, medical and pharmaceutical mazes can be overwhelming for even the most resourceful Baby Boomer.
I discussed this recently with Jill O’Donnell of Complete Geriatric Care (now Iris Consulting for Seniors), a consulting and advisory service that meets the total needs of today’s seniors. With over 25 years business experience, this company is one of the best kept secrets in the GTA.
Why should you consider hiring someone to help you manage your parent’s care? First and foremost, navigating the system is confusing and tough.
Jill points out that adult children too frequently assume that, because they have financial resources, it will be easy enough to get top quality care for their parents. But money alone doesn’t help people navigate the myriad of health, legal and social services.
She tells the story of one client who was determined to stay in her own home. Doing this meant she needed no less than 17 different caregivers, ranging from drivers to nurses to house keepers to activation coordinators. Complete Geriatric Care took on the role of mixing, matching and managing every one and everything.
Another benefit of hiring an elder care consultant is that it enables a family to get clear, level headed information without emotions getting in the way.
A large number of the calls Complete Geriatric Care receives are from families in crisis mode – Mom has fallen and fractured her hip and she can no longer live on her own. In situations like these, adult children often panic and don’t necessarily make the best choices.
And while Complete Geriatric Care is adept at handling almost any situation thrown at them, Jill encourages adult children to put together a plan before the crisis occurs.
“When a family is in a crisis situation, emotions run high. Put together an elder care plan before a crisis occurs. Think about lifestyle as well as health care.”
Perhaps the biggest benefit of working with a company like Complete Geriatric Care is the time you’ll save. Quite frankly, it’s hard work and time consuming to manage your children, your household and yourself as well as make arrangements for your elderly parents. And all too often these duties will fall on you - the wife, the mother, the daughter.
Jill gives just one example – moving your parents into a nursing home. In addition to finding a residence, managing the waiting list and possibly seeking funding, there’s the move itself - downsizing, cancelling phones, notifying the banks, hiring movers, setting up at the new place. Most of us feel overwhelmed just thinking about it.
Being a good caregiver doesn’t mean doing it all yourself. It’s about being resourceful and finding the best resources. Complete Geriatric Care might just be one of your best.
