Paula Banks, Owner, Paula Banks Consulting - 207-329-9080
As I enter my 40th year as a geriatric social worker and my 20th as a nationally certified geriatric care manager (aging life care expert), I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I started my career as a nursing home aide in high school. After becoming a social worker, I worked in hospitals, nursing homes, memory care facilities, and home care agencies. From the beginning, I have been heartened by how much our attention to older adults in this country has increased over the years.
Due to tremendous strides in healthcare, we seem to be living longer. But my question is, are we really living better? It’s something I deliberate on daily. As a geriatric care manager, I confront daily the scourges of loneliness and isolation, financial instability, caregiver burnout, staffing shortages, and an explosion of elder abuse (financial, physical, and emotional), fraud, and neglect.
These issues are not just the concern of the older adult. They affect our families, communities, and economy.
The good news is that since the ‘silver tsunami’ started in 2011, when 10,000 baby boomers per day started turning 65, the nation finally caught on. And I’m so grateful for that. At the same time, I’m impressed by the growth of technology, social media, increased communication, and innovations in aging care, the global fight against ageism, the increase in advocacy and information, and much more support at the local, state, and federal levels (both public and private) for older adults and their caregivers. These are but a few of the dramatic plusses I have seen in my years.
What troubles me is that the majority of clinicians who are caring for older adults today are aging as well. In the United States, the average age of social workers is 42, for nurses it is 46, and for geriatricians (doctors who specialize in treating older adults) it is 55.5 years! So it is imperative that we work to inspire younger people to explore this fascinating field of aging.
This brings me to the heart of my consulting practice. Often, the most common call I get is, "We need help! But we don’t even know what we need!" It's a sentiment that highlights the complexity of navigating elder care. With all these years and all this experience, let me share a few pearls of wisdom I’ve learned along the way:
If you don’t know how to navigate the current elder care system, call an expert. Call a geriatric care manager, a certified senior advisor, or a geriatrician. They know this field and can guide you through the messy terrain. It is worth every penny you will spend because they will likely save you thousands of dollars in poor decisions or lack of knowledge. Every state has ‘area agencies on aging’ that can direct you to these professionals.
If you consult an expert and they give you advice, use it! That’s what you pay for. I cannot tell you how many times I have worked with clients to come up with a care/life plan only to have them not implement most parts of the plan. What ends up happening is I get a call six months later that they are in a crisis that could have been avoided.
If you have a long-term care policy, use it! I have seen millions of dollars ‘left on the table’ by clients who wanted either to ‘save the policy for when I really need it’ (which is usually sooner than you think) or were too proud to use it. It pains me to see the amount of money that clients pay for these expensive policies only to pass before they ever initiate a claim.
If you are a primary caregiver, get support! Caregiver burnout is real, whether you are a spouse, adult child, or a paid caregiver. Enlist friends, family, and if finances allow, pay for help. Almost every day, a client’s family will ask me, ‘When is the right time to get some help?’ In most cases, it is that very moment. There is no shame in asking for help, and it can literally save your health and maybe even your life. A very common scenario is that a primary caregiver will die before the person they are caring for. We see that all the time, and it does not have to be this way. Some organizations, like the Alzheimer’s Association, have a 24/7 Helpline that you can call for advice and support. Many area agencies on aging have listings of local and virtual support groups for caregivers. In Maine, you can always start by calling 211.
Navigating the complexities of elder care can be daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone. The insights I’ve shared come from decades of experience and a deep commitment to improving the lives of older adults and their families. If you find yourself overwhelmed, consider reaching out for help. Remember, seeking support isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a proactive step towards a better quality of life for both you and your loved one.
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