Generations Counseling & Care Management

(201) 845-7030

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Meet Our Team: Katherine Curran, MSW, LSW

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This is the fourth article in our “Meet the Team” series! Feel free to check out Stacey, Janelle, and Amy’s articles.

What is your background?

I am a Licensed Social Worker and received my master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University with a Certificate in Aging. My 1st internship in graduate school was at a Senior Resource Center in Princeton and from that point on I knew I wanted to dedicate my professional career in social work to the older adult population. I have been working in the field since I graduated Rutgers in 2009. I was hired by Generations own, Stacey Padva, at Cedar Crest Continuing Care Community in 2011 and worked in Independant Living as well as Long Term and Sub-Acute skilled care. I joined the Generations team in 2018.

Why did you become a care manager?

While working at Cedar Crest I had the opportunity to work alongside members of the Generations team who had been hired by residents of the community. The Generations brochure was one I kept in my office and would refer to for either counseling or care management. I experienced firsthand how critical and beneficial Generations work was to my residents and their families. I always had it in the back of my mind that it would be a really amazing path for my career to take, so when I saw a job opportunity, I knew it was one that I could not let pass me by.

What is your favorite thing about working as a care manager?

My favorite thing about being a care manager is the relationships that are formed with my clients and their families/representatives. To go from being strangers to a trusted and constant part of their lives is a really amazing journey to take.

What is the most common problem your clients face?

This a good question. I would say navigating aging in place. Balancing a client’s needs and safety with finances, logistics and personal preference of each individual life circumstances can be a challenge. It is a benefit to have a care manager and supporting team can help bring clarity to different care options that align with our client’s goal for care.

Family owned and operated for over 37 years, Generations Counseling & Care Management, LLC is a full-service geriatric care management firm that provides care management, advocacy, and psychotherapy services with an integrated, professional, client-centered approach to the needs of the elderly, persons with disabilities, their families, and the caregiving community in Northern New Jersey and Rockland County, New York. Our expert staff are available 24/7 and offer a wide range of services that cover all aspects of elder care including: care management, counseling, psychotherapy, elder care planning, transitional service to senior communities & nursing facilities, services for disabled individuals, benefits counseling, assessments, financial services and management, moving and relocation coordination and much more. If you need more information on our services, please call our office at 201-845-7030.

SEVEN SIGNS THAT AN AGING PARENT NEEDS HELP

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by Miriam Zucker, LMSW, C-ASWCM

This article was originally posted on The Aging Life Care Association’s blog.

As an Aging Life Care™ advisor, I know how fiercely older adults want to maintain their independence. Many feel that their adult children don’t understand them or are making something out of nothing — a fall, a burnt pot, a call from the police station. They make promises to ask for help shopping, assure a son they will only drive on familiar streets, and promise to hang up when an unsolicited call for money comes in. The need to be safe and the rejection of that safety in the name of independence and dignity is a real struggle.  So how do you know when safety should outweigh the desire to appear and remain independent?

Here are seven signs that your aging parent may need help:

  1. You come for a visit, open the refrigerator to get a glass of juice and the expiration date was three months ago. The refrigerator may have a strong odor, and the kitchen may be full of rotten food.
  2. Mail is piling up. Bills may be going unpaid, and utilities at risk of being shut off.
  3. You’re not sure that medications are being taken correctly, due to changes in your parent’s vision, dexterity, or memory. Pills are still in their bottles, or medication boxes seem untouched between visits. You may find medications dropped or spilled on the floor.
  4. You’re concerned about personal hygiene. You parent may be wearing soiled clothing, bathing infrequently, and not attending to personal care tasks such as oral hygiene.
  5. “Mother is absolutely fine,” you hear your father say. And mother automatically agrees. After fifty plus years of marriage, they have learned how to compensate for one another, and they’re arm in arm on the road to trouble.
  6. You’re receiving concerned phone calls or emails from friends or neighbors, who may be stepping in to provide help when they can, but are frustrated.
  7. The car has noticeable new scratches and dents, maintenance is being ignored, and you’re concerned about your parent’s ability to drive safely.

If you notice just one of these happening with your parent, it is time to have a conversation. If you need help starting that conversation or implementing a plan of care, consider working with an Aging Life Care Professional. Aging Life Care Professionals™ understand the frustration felt by adult children and the desperation felt by older adults who want to hold on to their independence. With an objective perspective on the situation, we can help facilitate difficult family discussions and decision-making to address these and other concerns.

As a member of the Aging Life Care Association, Generations Counseling & Care Management, LLC has had the opportunity to forge relationships with other Geriatric Care Managers who work both in and outside of New Jersey. We learn from each other as well as refer to one another. Miriam Zucker is a licensed New York State social worker and is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, American Society on Aging, and the Central Westchester Geriatric Committee. She is an involved member of the Aging Life Care Association, where she holds Advanced member status and she is the founder of Directions in Aging in Westchester County, New York where she can be reached at mzucker@directionsinaging.com. We would like to thank her for allowing us to repost this.

Family owned and operated for 37 years, Generations Counseling & Care Management, LLC is a full-service geriatric care management firm that provides care management, advocacy, and psychotherapy services with an integrated, professional, client-centered approach to the needs of the elderly, persons with disabilities, their families, and the caregiving community in Northern New Jersey and Rockland County, New York. Our expert staff are available 24/7 and offer a wide range of services that cover all aspects of elder care including: care management, counseling, psychotherapy, elder care planning, transitional service to senior communities & nursing facilities, services for disabled individuals, benefits counseling, assessments, financial services and management, moving and relocation coordination and much more. If you need more information on our services, please call our office at 201-845-7030.

Alzheimer’s New Jersey Walk Kick Off Party: Sponsored by Generations and Brightview Paramus

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We co-sponsored the Alzheimer’s New Jersey Walk Kick Off Party with Brightview Paramus this year. There were over fifty-five community members and professionals there to sign up their teams for the Walk to Fight Alzheimer’s at Bergen Community College on October 13th. Our Director of Marketing, Laura Huisking, is the walk chair and the Generations Counseling & Care Management Team has been busy raising money the last few months for this very important cause.

We work with dementia patients and their families on a daily basis so we recognize the tough challenges they face. Part of what we do for clients is to ensure they have the right resources to support them along their caregiving journey. Each family situation is unique and not every resource fits with every family. Our care managers take a lot of time during the assessment process to figure out what works best for their situation.

There aren’t a lot of free resources out there for dementia support in Northern New Jersey and Alzheimer’s New Jersey is one of them. They offer support groups, educational programs, and respite care grants for family caregivers. This is why we fundraise for them each year. It is our small way of helping the clients we serve.

Family owned and operated for 37 years, Generations Counseling & Care Management, LLC is a full-service geriatric care management firm that provides care management, advocacy, and psychotherapy services with an integrated, professional, client-centered approach to the needs of the elderly, persons with disabilities, their families, and the caregiving community. Our expert staff are available 24/7 and offer a wide range of services that cover all aspects of elder care including: care management, counseling, psychotherapy, elder care planning, transitional service to senior communities & nursing facilities, services for disabled individuals, benefits counseling, assessments, financial services and management, moving and relocation coordination and much more. If you need more information on our services, please call our office at 201-845-7030.

Generations to Speak at Bergen County Caregivers Conference: April 11th

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Twice a year, the Bergen County Board of Commissioners and Department of Human Services, Division of Senior Services/ADRC hosts a Caregivers Conference. The goal of this conference is to educate caregivers in the Bergen County, New Jersey area about services, support, and county programs that can help them through their caregiver journey.

This year, they have asked Generations to speak about “The Ins and Outs of HomeCare”. We will be talking about the types of different Home Care services that are available in our community as well as what insurance will and won’t cover and county programs that are available to help. Join us on Thursday, April 11th from 5:00-9:00pm.

Family owned and operated for over 35 years, Generations Counseling & Care Management, LLC is a full-service geriatric care management firm that provides care management, advocacy, and psychotherapy services with an integrated, professional, client-centered approach to the needs of the elderly, persons with disabilities, their families, and the caregiving community. Our expert staff are available 24/7 and offer a wide range of services that cover all aspects of elder care including: care management, counseling, psychotherapy, elder care planning, transitional service to senior communities & nursing facilities, services for disabled individuals, benefits counseling, assessments, financial services and management, moving and relocation coordination and much more. If you need more information on our services, please call our office at 201-845-7030.