JEWISH RENAISSANCE Front Lines DETROIT JEWISH NEWS DIGEST theJEW1SHNEWS.com Advertising Sales Publisher/President Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Sales Director: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives: Ann G. Abrams, Jan Haskell, Melissa Litvin, Heidi Martin, Rick Nessel, Dharlene Norris Senior Sales Assistant: Kim Metzger Caring Souls Business Offices Customer Service Asst.: Jan Shain Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner Collections Analyst: Hazel Bender Professionals advocate for older adults. Creative Services Lynn Breuer Special to the Jewish News T he Sandwich Generation. We've all heard the phrase before, but like many defining moments in life, it takes on new meaning as you begin to live it. Last week, I had my sandwich generation epiphany. On the way to the printer to proofread materials for work, I received a call from my 16-year-old son telling me that his flight to Dallas was delayed due to bad weather. As I was commiserating with him (after all, who ever heard of snow in Dallas!?!), my call-waiting clicked and it was my mother, telling me that she was ill, needed to go to the doctor and didn't have anything in the house she could eat. My experience that day is a common one in our society. Many people are working full time, concerned with their careers, rais- ing their children and, at the same time, needing to take more and more care of the their aging parents. The good news however, is that help is available. Geriatric care managers are trained professionals who are expert at assessing and meeting the needs of older adults, both those who are living in their own homes as well as in older adult residential facilities. Usually credentialed in social work, nursing or gerontology, they will meet with older adults and their families, assess all areas of need an older adult might have and make recommendations aimed at maintaining indepen- dence and improving quality of life. But they don't stop there. A geriatric care manager can be an ongoing advocate for an older adult, taking them to physician appointments, communicating concerns to the doctor, reporting back to the family, coordinating in-home care and meals on wheels, arranging for end-of-life docu- mentation, providing emotional support to both older adults and their family members as well as a host of additional services. Many geriatric care managers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for crisis intervention. They can meet their clients at the hospital, providing a list of current medications as well as any medical advanced directives the client might have. In short, they act just as you would, if you were there. ElderCare Solutions of Michigan (ECSM) is a geriatric care management division of Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit. ECSM has been providing geriatric care management services in Southeast Michigan for the past 10 years. Often, clients first contact ECSM during a crisis, which fre- quently includes a hospitalization. Their geriatric care manag- ers can then put in place all the supports an older adult might Channel 56' Remember When Detroit Public TV viewers will enjoy a trip down memory lane at 8 p.m. on Monday, March 15, with the encore presentation of Detroit Remember When: The Jewish Community, a 50-minute documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sue Marx and producer Allyson Rockwell. "It's mostly nostalgic. We have a lot of storytellers:' says Marx. "It's really recollections and stories told by a variety of people-both old and not-so-old-who have memories of growing up in the city or have relatives who did. They're need in order to return home or, if that is not possible, help the family choose a rehabilitation facility that will meet the client's needs —medical, physical, social and emotional. Others will contact ECSM proactively, in order to reduce the likelihood of a crisis. Putting some needed supports in place can have a profound impact on an older adult's well-being. Here are questions when choosing a geriatric care manager: • What are the geriatric care managers' professional creden- tials? • Do they work as part of a multidisciplinary team? • How long have they been practicing? •What are their policies regarding after-hours emergencies? •What back-up arrangements are available if your care man- ager is on vacation? •What are their fees? •Are they members of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers? How To Decide Does someone in your life need a geriatric care manager? Families are sometimes uncertain about when to call a geriatric care manager. ElderCare Solutions of Michigan suggests con- tacting a geriatric care manager when: • Family lives out of town; • There is local family but they are overwhelmed and need resources; • Family disagrees as to what action to take regarding an older adult; •An older adult's living situation is no longer safe; • When a professional opinion is necessary; • When an older adult's physical or mental functioning are in question; •When age in place modifications are necessary. ❑ Lynn Breuer, MSW, is director of marketing and community outreach for ElderCare Solutions of Michigan. creative@thejewishnews.com Creative Director: Deborah Schultz Production By VERTIS INC. Site Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Jeffrey Meyer, Pam Sherevan, Michelle Sheridan Editorial Editor: Robert A. Sklar rsklar@thejewishnews.com Associate Editor: Alan Hitsky ahitsky@thejewishnews.com Story Development Editor: Keri Guten Cohen kcohen@thejewishnews.com Arts Editor: Gail Zimmerman gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Senior Writer: Shelli Liebman Dorfman sdorfman@thejewishnews.com Senior Columnist: Danny Raskin dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net Columnists: George Cantor, Robin Schwartz, Steve Stein Copy Team: Senior Copy Editor: David Sachs dsachs@thejewishnews.com Copy Team Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Platinum: Executive Editor: Gail Zimmerman gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Teen2Teen: Executive Editor: Ken Guten Cohen kcohen@thejewishnews.corn Southeast Michigan Jewish Alliance Program Manager: Rachel Lachover Published by: Jewish Renaissance Media Chairman: Michael H. Steinhardt President/Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett kbrowett@renmedia.us Controller: Craig R. Phipps Editorial Director: Robert A. Sklar IT & Circulation Director: Deanna Spivey Fulfillment circulationdesk@thejewishnews.com Customer Service Manager: Zena Davis Departments We all want to age with dignity. Does someone you love need help managing their life? To contact ElderCare Solutions of Michigan, call (248) 592-1944 or visit www. eldercaresolutionsofmi.org . For more information about Geriatric Care Management, visit one of the following Web sites: • www.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/health/26patient.html • www.napgcm.org/index.cfm telling intimate and historical stories." Through a blend of interviews, archival images and home movies, the documentary covers it all: The Early Days, Discrimination, Religious & Civil Rights, Education, Tzedakah, Future Leaders.Volunteers from ElderCare Solutions of Michigan will be in the DPTV studios answering pledge phones. Viewers will have the opportunity to make a pledge in support of the programming on Detroit Public TV and receive a copy of Detroit Remember When: The Jewish Community. Donations on March 15 will be matched by Jim and Sandy Danto. General Offices: 248-354-6060 Advertising: 248-351-5107 Advertising Fax: 248-304-0049 Circulation: 248-351-5174 Advertising Deadline: Monday, 4 p.m. Editorial Fax: 248-304-8885 Deadline: All public and social announcements must be typewritten and received by noon Tuesday, nine days prior to desired date of publication. Subscriptions: 1 year 2 years 3 years 1 year out-of-state 2 years out-of-state 3 years out-of-state $79 $142 $189 $119 $214 $286 Detroit Jewish News 29200 Northwestern Highway Suite 110 Southfield, MI 48034 ©copyright 2010 Detroit Jewish News