Position Paper
Care Management
Aging Life Care Professionals™ … coordinating services to optimize health and quality of life.
The Aging Life Care Association™ (ALCA), formerly National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, is an organization of practitioners who use a holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults or others facing ongoing health challenges. ALCA is committed to maximizing the independence and autonomy of elders and strives to ensure the highest quality and most cost-effective health and human services. Members help older persons and their families cope with the challenges of aging through education, advocacy, counseling, and service delivery.
Care Management
Aging Life Care™ / geriatric care management is the process of planning and coordinating the care of older adults and people with disabilities to improve their quality of life and maintain their independence for as long as possible. Health and psychological care are integrated with the best possible combination of services such as: housing, home care services, socialization programs, financial and legal planning.
A care plan tailored for each individual’s circumstances is prepared after a comprehensive assessment. The care plan is modified when necessary based on the Aging Life Care Professional™ / geriatric care manager’s monitoring of the effectiveness of the components of the care plan. Aging Life Care / geriatric care managers accomplish this by combining a working knowledge of health and psychology, human development, family dynamics, public and private resources, and funding sources while advocating for the individual throughout the continuum of care.
ALCA supports:
- The establishment of uniform standards for those who use the title of Aging Life Care Professional / geriatric care managers.
- Efforts to expand home-based programs and services, which will enable older adults and people with disabilities to continue to live in their own community settings.
- Initiatives that will expand the availability of Aging Life Care / geriatric care management services to older adults and people with disabilities.
- A funding level for maintaining older adults and people with disabilities in community settings which at least equals the funding level that would be required to maintain these individuals in institutional settings.
- The promotion of public education on the scope and the availability of Aging Life Care / geriatric care management services that are consistent with a personalized and person-centered approach, with the flexibility to adapt as the individuals’ needs change.
- The development of innovative community-based approaches to help older adults and people with disabilities remain in the community and to ensure smooth transitions in care as envisioned by the Affordable Care Act.
Resolutions approved by the NAPGCM Board of Directors October 11, 2001.
Reviewed, changed and updated by the Public Policy Committee September 8, 2008.
Reviewed and approved by NAPGCM Board of Directors October 23, 2008
Reviewed, changed and updated by the Public Policy Committee November 15, 2012.
Reviewed and approved by NAPGCM Board of Directors January 25, 2013