Geriatric Care Managers in Double Bind
Targeting concierge clients puts geriatric care managers /health care professionals, in a double bind. As a social worker, nurse or health professional practicing aging life or geriatric care management, the catch 22 you fall into is offering limited access to care management. Serving only the upper 10% was not part of our training. It was not part of our social belief system that all members of the community should have access to social and health care resources.
Restricting access to aging life or care management impacts 90% of older people’s ability to reach their full potential, negatively affecting their quality of life and further beats down unpaid family caregivers
But aging life or geriatric care manager chose to run a for-profit business that depends on the top 10%.
Thus a paradoxical situation where geriatric care managers find themselves with an ethical dilemma.
Limited Access to Health Care
Limited access to health care increases as we age. Most Americans will need geriatric care management and all long term care choices but will not have the money to afford it.
Limiting access to geriatric care management to the upper 10% leads most Aging Life or geriatric care managers to an ethical dilemma. Should we limit resources?
The physician of the 20th century treated all patients rich or poor and did not have a business model. Today’s managed care physicians see everyone on Medicare. But many do not take Medicare because of the low payments. Access to the physician diminishes even more with the advent of the concierge physician, who uses a business model to only treat those elders who can pay privately, which ends up being the upper 10%.
Here’s the Rub
Most aging life or geriatric care managers came to the field with inner core beliefs that health care should be available to all elders, yet they chose to start a GCM business where they can only afford to serve the top 10%. So here ‘s the rub.
That business cannot prosper if the aging life or geriatric care manager does not have long term concierge clients who can pay for it. The federal government does not fund the profession, so elders have limited access. Should you be part of this?
Here is the ethical dilemma. It turns out that you must serve clients long term to make your aging life or geriatric care management thrive. Opening and closing cases short term, because they cannot afford home care or care management, makes care managers spend a good deal of their time finding new clients, taking away from delivering their valuable service.
Plus short term clients cut into your bottom line. Geriatric Care Management is not actually 
expensive per hour but when the client needs home care that is between $4000-$6000 a month older people who live below the 90% economic divide must stop or severely reduce services. Additionally, with increased home care, GCM visits increase due to accelerated care needs.
Sadly, GCM or ALCA services can only be utilized by the top 10%. Short term geriatric care management is affordable and very effective, but short term cases will not keep a business afloat. Aging clients will face a downward trajectory that leads to expanding care as they move toward death but long term care is not covered by Medicare.
Learn more about how to solve this double-bind by finding those long term clients who can afford you.
Webinar-Sales and Marketing to Find the VIP Concierge Client
March 31, 2020 -2PM -3:30 PM PST
Concierge Clients are the only way a GCM or ALCA care manager can make a profit and have their business thrive. Find out who are they, how you find them, design GCM Products they will purchase, and create a marketing plan and gold standard services to have them sign your contract and use your services long term
Learn
Who They Are- 4 Types
How to Locate them in your service area
How to create a strategic marketing plan to sell to them
How to Develop Gold Standard GCM Products and Services
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