Geriatric Care Managers Job Description: Duties, Knowledge and Training Requirements, Job Information
Submitted by: Cheska Davenport
Job Overview: Geriatric care managers are persons in charge of assisting older people and their loved ones in meeting various health care needs. These managers work by coordinating with a senior’s schedule by taking them to doctor’s appointments, help families find the right place for their elderly loved ones to live in, and help elders keep track of their finances (as well as recommend the appropriate people to do the job). They serve as the elderly person’s link to the outside world, and as well as the point of contact of their family members. These managers are usually trained in social work, nursing, counseling and gerontology.
Education, Knowledge and Training Required: To those who want to become geriatric care managers, they should at least have a bachelor’s degree in fields such as nursing, social work, psychology or gerontology, which are the most useful programs in this type of career. Others meanwhile are required to take up a master’s degree for more advanced positions. Persons who want to be successful in this type of career should as well focus on human growth and development, pharmacotherapeutics, pathophysiology, social welfare policies, human behavior and social environments, as well as field work. They should as well get an understanding of elderly behavior, so that they will be prepared to handle elderly clients as they assume work.
Skills and Abilities: Geriatric care managers should not only have the knowledge and technical background for the job; they also need to have soft skills, such as a deep sense of responsibility, compassion, patience and ethics. They must also be assertive, as they will be acting on behalf of their clients, and do various errands to fulfill their needs. They should also be professional, both in looks and actions, as they get to talk to different people, such as family members of their clients, lawyers, trust officers, health care providers and other professionals. They should also have good judgment and assessment skills, and have extensive knowledge about the ongoing health care issues of their clients. They must have the empathy and calmness during crisis, as well as a congenial temperament especially when talking to others.
Tasks: The role of geriatric care managers vary in the different aspects of caring for their elderly clients. Among their basic tasks include assessing the needs of their clients and conducting whatever changes are there in those needs. They also work on solving daily problems of the elderly, and serve as social workers and counselors to the family members of their clients.
They see to it that their clients get their needs on time, and tasks such as shopping for groceries, clothes and other necessities, taking care of medications and providing family members with progress reports about how their client is doing. They also work on clerical duties such a filing documents and records, calling the necessary people for appointments and meetings, as well as making sure that their clients’ needs are served right on the dot.
Earnings and Job Outlook: Geriatric care managers earn depending on their experience and geographic location. At present people in this field may earn somewhere between $25,000 and $100,000 per year. Self-employed managers charge by the hour, at $150 per hour.
Cheska Davenport is a career search strategist who focuses on creating power resumes and providing job search advice that aim to help individuals achieve their target goals in the job market.
Latest Articles about: Careers
1: College Mathematics Professors: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook2: Mathematics Teacher: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
3: Medical Assistant: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
4: Mathematicians: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
5: Medical Ethicist: Job Description, Education, Skills, Abilities, Duties, Earnings and Outlook
Word Count: 564 Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2010 Time: 5:56 AM
Previous - Geriatric Psychiatrists Job Description: Career Information, Training and Required Knowledge, Employment Outlook and Salary Expectations | Next - Geophysicists Job Description: Career, Education, Job Outlook and Salary Information