Lifespan, which Peters started 12 years ago with another nurse, Pam Goodman, is one of a growing number of private geriatric care management companies that arrange for everything from 24-hour home care to daily telephone monitoring. We realized if people had a problem, there was nowhere to turn for advice or consultation on that problem, says Peters, who, along with Goodman, worked with elderly clients in the public sector first. The company has now grown to 140 employees, about 120 of them providing in-home care. A good proportion of the firm's clients are grown children like Steve Cain, who live thousands of miles away from their parents. There is a 2-hour minimum for that assessment, which leads to recommendations for care.
Fees vary depending on the kind of care needed.
Getting old is expensive. There s no doubt about it, Peters acknowledges. Some employers, recognizing that caring for elderly relatives is becoming a topic almost as hot with employees as child care, have begun to help out. Those companies offer elder-care consultation as a corporate benefit. It's really having someone to brainstorm with and help you identify what services you might need, says Robbie Smith, elder care program coordinator at Senior Information Referral Services, which has a contract with several local companies to provide consultation.