“It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes that same village to care for the elders, to keep them safe and comfortable in an environment of dignity.”
With those words, Pam Dannelevitz, RN, CMC, expresses the personal philosophy that guides her as a geriatric care manager and registered nurse. Dannelevitz believes that a team effort is essential to meet the individual needs of older persons and that the aging are deserving of our reverence, care and respect.
As Director of Client Services for SeniorBridge Family in West Palm Beach, Dannelevitz practices that philosophy every single day. She is in a position to know how effective a coalition of client, family, physician, care manager and other professionals can be. “Older persons are living longer and have a right to a high quality of life, but an insurance carrier cannot meet all their needs. A doctor cannot address the social and emotional needs, beyond the medical ones. The family cannot do it alone. No single party can meet all of their needs and one of my roles is to pull it all together, to coordinate and oversee their care so that they are getting everything they need.”
Dannelevitz became a geriatric care manager after doing home care with the elderly, working as an administrator of a dementia facility and running a support group for Alzheimers caregivers. She developed her own practice four years ago and then joined forces last fall with SeniorBridge Family, a dynamic national eldercare company with a distinctive model of care that combines home care with care management. SeniorBridge Family provides a strong nexus of support to older clients and their families through services that ease the transitions of aging. .
With her strong clinical nursing background, Dannevitz is capable of managing clients with complex medical needs. She collaborates closely with geriatricians such as Dr. Mary Colburn, in West Palm Beach, who recognizes the value of care management.
“Dr. Colburn is an excellent, board-certified geriatrician. She understands the concept of care management and appreciates the role that I play. I add an additional dimension to her practice. The combination of a geriatrician working with a care manager is a highly effective model and we have much success with it.”
Dannelevitz feels that she can empower her clients in their relationships with physicians. She accompanies them to appointments and takes prepared documents that detail the current state of the clients health. These include lists of all current medications, a problem list and a list of physician specialists that the client is seeing. The lists are developed with the clients input.
“The idea is to help both the client and the physician,” she says. “Doctors are not always aware of all the other doctors that a client is seeing or of all the medications that are being taken. The information on our lists is organized, up-to-date and accurate. It facilitates the doctors management of their problems.
“As the care manager, I am seeing the big picture. I am the doctors eyes and ears. I am familiar with what is going on in the clients life. At every contact, I am conducting a re-assessment. This makes it possible for me to recognize and identify problems when they are still in the earliest stages and to take action before it gets out of hand. I can alert the doctor and we can nip it in the bud.
“As a nurse and a care manager, I can offer the clinical perspective in addition to counseling, support and navigation.”
Dannelevitz is eager to educate physicians about the role of care management in the care of aging patients. She emphasizes the enhanced quality of life and peace of mind that care management fosters, for the client and for the family. Care managers assist the doctors by arming them with more information about significant events in the clients life, such as losses and life changes that they may not otherwise learn about.
“Many older persons tend to turn the focus of the conversation to the doctor and dont talk about themselves. Its due to a mixture of pride and fear. If they have a long-term relationship, they may idolize the doctor and want to please him or her. They may minimize pain or problems once they are there in the office,” she explains.
In her early career, Dannelevitz was an operating room nurse but opted for geriatrics after working with older persons in home care. She developed a passion for the people that she considers the most generous and courageous generation in American history.
“They are people who have given so much and we owe them our gratitude and our respect, and that includes helping them to age in dignity. SeniorBridge Family does exactly that.”
Pam Dannelevitz can be reached at (561) 432-3399 or (800) 431-8370.