If you have every tried to help out with finding care for someone who is just returning home from a hospital stay, or for someone who has need of long term care within their home, you know how difficult it can be.

Since patients are frequently discharged from the hospital before being fully recovered, it's often necessary to rapidly put together a patchwork of home-care and health services to allow them to survive in their own home while recovering. Although the hospital will usually provide a visiting nurse and maybe a social worker, it is rarely enough for elderly patients who may have more than one illness or disability and need extra assistance.

It can be very difficult to put together the right mix of helpers for this type of situation. It took me years to find out that there were people who specialize in finding services to help keep people independent in their homes. Care Managers or "Geriatric Care Managers" are usually nurses or social workers with training in geriatric assessment, who will look at the person and their situation and recommend services to fill the gaps. They can be extremely helpful in an emergency, and also for the longer term.

Just something to file away in case you ever need it!