What Is an Aging Life Care Professional?
Sometimes, especially when caregivers are separated by great distance from their elderly relatives, it helps to have someone to whom you can turn who can help arrange for the elder's care and safety. Aging Life Care Professionals® (ALCPs) are becoming an increasingly popular solution to the problems that arise with long-distance care.
ALCPs are professionals who specialize in helping the elderly and their families. They offer a wide variety of services, including crisis intervention, counseling, care management, housing management, guardianship, money management, advocacy, referrals, and advice. Typically, they do not provide the hands-on care themselves, but they help in arranging and coordinating care, and they continue monitoring a care plan once it has been implemented.
ALCPs have college degrees, often Master's degrees, and significant experience in working with elderly clients. They come from various backgrounds, including nursing, social work, and psychotherapy, and the services they offer vary according to their professional backgrounds. All ALCPs, however, are committed to assisting elders maintain a high quality of life, independence, and safety.
Who needs an ALCP?
Adult children or other caregivers who live far away from an elderly relative are increasingly using the services of ALCPs to help manage the relative's day-to-day care. ALCPs provide a consistent contact for family members, and they can do everything from creating an overall care plan to intervening in case of a crisis or emergency.
Attorneys may also rely on ALCPs to evaluate a client's situation in a nursing home or assisted living facility. Trust officers or other financial planners also use ALCPs to create workable, cost-effective plans of care, and doctors or other health care professionals often rely on ALCPs as intermediaries between a patient and the health care system.
Paying for an ALCP
ALCPs bill their clients privately on a fee-per-service basis. The services provided by ALCPs are not covered by Medicare or Medicaid, but some private insurance policies may cover the cost. Check with your policy to find out if it covers this kind of service. Even if you have to pay for a ALCPs services out of pocket, the work they provide in arranging for cost-effective care and easing the worries of family members can make the initial costs well worth it.
Finding an ALCP
To get a list of ALCPs in your elder's community, call your employee assistance program (EAP). You may also want to check with local hospitals or your Area Agency on Aging.
As you look for an ALCP, you'll want to interview several in your elder's community so that you can find the one that best suits their needs. During these interviews, ask about background, services, qualifications, and areas of expertise. Also look for someone who you can get along with; after all, this person will be someone you'll be working with closely over the next several weeks, months, or even years. Make sure to check references and their professional reputation.
ALCPs are a good option for caregivers who live far away from their elderly relative; they offer a range of services that can help develop, implement, and monitor a complete care plan.
Workplace Options. (Revised 2024). What is an aging life care professional? Raleigh, NC: Author.
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