I was dead set against hiring a care manager for my mom, now I'm not so sure.

For two years I handled everything myself. Doctor visits, meds, arguing with insurance about a walker. My sister kept pushing for a geriatric care manager, and I told her it was just another expense for someone who doesn't know my mom. Then Mom had a bad fall in March and I couldn't get a rehab placement for three days. I finally called one in Phoenix and she got it sorted in 4 hours. The cost was $150 an hour which hurt, but now I'm wondering if the peace of mind is worth it. Anyone here use a care manager regularly and feel like it actually saved you money or time in the long run?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlies377d ago

My sister hired one for my dad last year and it was a total waste of $3,000. The lady came in, made a binder full of stuff we already knew, and then disappeared whenever we actually needed her for anything urgent. We ended up doing all the legwork anyway. I get that your Phoenix person helped fast with the rehab placement, but thats one time. Regular monthly visits? I'd rather burn that cash on actual help like a home health aide or even just paying a neighbor kid to run errands. Peace of mind is great but $150 an hour adds up quick when you're not in a crisis.

green.noah7d ago

Hear me out though - did your sister actually sit down with the lady first and ask what the plan was? We interviewed 3 before we found ours and the first two were exactly like that, binder pushers who didnt really do much. The one we stuck with actually came with us to doctors appointments, took notes when my mom got overwhelmed, and caught a medication error the hospital made. Not saying your experience was fake, but I think a lot of people hire the first person they find without checking if they actually do the hard stuff.

shane_bell7d agoTop Commenter

A binder full of stuff we already knew" - man, that's brutal. I'd be furious if I paid three grand and got a fancy folder with info I could have googled myself. Sounds like she was more of a paperwork organizer than an actual advocate when the real stuff went down.