The fastest way to find a geriatric care manager is through the Aging Life Care Association’s online directory, which lets you search by ZIP code and filter results by distance. But finding one is only the first step. Knowing how to vet candidates, understand what they actually do, and figure out how to pay for their services will help you choose the right person for your family’s situation.
Start With the Professional Directory
The Aging Life Care Association (ALCA) is the main professional organization for geriatric care managers, now formally called Aging Life Care Professionals. Their “Find an Expert” directory at aginglifecare.org is the most reliable starting point. You enter a ZIP code and select a distance radius ranging from 1 mile to 250 miles. If you’re in a rural area, expanding that radius is worth doing since many care managers work remotely or travel to clients across a region.
The directory also has an advanced search option that lets you look up a specific care manager by name, company name, or city and state. This is useful if someone has been recommended to you and you want to verify their membership. ALCA members agree to follow the association’s standards of practice and code of ethics, which provides a baseline level of accountability that you won’t get from a random Google search.
Beyond the ALCA directory, you can ask for referrals from your parent’s primary care physician, a hospital discharge planner, or your local Area Agency on Aging. Elder law attorneys and estate planners also frequently work alongside care managers and can point you toward people they trust.
Credentials That Matter
Geriatric care managers come from different professional backgrounds, most commonly nursing and social work. What distinguishes a qualified care manager from someone who simply hangs a shingle is credentialing. The two credentials to look for are the Care Manager Certified (CMC) designation and a relevant clinical license such as a registered nurse or licensed clinical social worker.
The CMC credential is issued by the National Academy of Certified Care Managers. To qualify, a candidate with a master’s degree needs at least one year of paid, full-time (minimum 35 hours per week), supervised care management experience. Candidates with a bachelor’s in nursing need two years. The experience must be recent, within the last 10 years, and it must involve direct client work across four core practice areas, not just a relevant job title. Candidates also pass a certification exam.
Social work care managers are held to standards set by the National Association of Social Workers, which require at minimum a bachelor’s or advanced degree from an accredited program, state licensure, and demonstrated skills in assessment, service planning, advocacy, and culturally competent care. These overlapping requirements mean a credentialed care manager has been trained to look at the full picture of an older adult’s life, not just one medical problem.
What a Care Manager Actually Does
A geriatric care manager’s core job is conducting a comprehensive assessment of your loved one’s situation and then building a plan around what they find. That initial assessment covers a lot of ground: physical health and chronic conditions, cognitive function, mood and psychological well-being, nutrition, medications (especially when someone is taking many prescriptions that may interact), fall risk, gait and balance, pain levels, and the safety of the home environment itself.
From that assessment, the care manager creates a care plan with specific, measurable goals. They coordinate between doctors, home care aides, therapists, and family members. They monitor whether the plan is working and adjust it when things change, which in aging they inevitably do. Many also act as a health care advocate, attending medical appointments, taking notes, asking questions the family might not think to ask, and helping translate what physicians recommend into practical daily decisions.
This is different from a standalone patient advocate, whose role is typically narrower and focused on navigating a specific medical episode or insurance dispute. A geriatric care manager provides ongoing, whole-life oversight. For families who live far from an aging parent, that ongoing presence is often the primary reason they hire one.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
Once you have a few names, schedule a phone or video consultation with each candidate. Most care managers offer a brief introductory call at no charge. Here’s what to cover:
- What services do you provide? Some care managers focus on care coordination, others also handle financial oversight or legal planning support. Make sure their scope matches what your family needs.
- How do you conduct the initial assessment, and what does it include? You want someone who evaluates medical, cognitive, emotional, nutritional, and environmental factors, not just one dimension.
- How will you communicate with me, and how often? Ask whether they use email, phone calls, or an online portal. Clarify how quickly they respond to urgent questions and whether there’s after-hours availability.
- What are your fees? Get the cost of the initial assessment, ongoing hourly rates, and any retainer or minimum monthly charges in writing.
- What is your caseload like right now? A care manager juggling too many clients won’t give your family the attention it needs. Professional standards emphasize that caseloads should be sustainable enough to allow high-quality service.
- What are your credentials and licenses? Verify the CMC designation, nursing license, social work license, or other relevant qualifications. Ask how long they’ve been practicing specifically in geriatric care.
Pay attention to how they listen during this conversation. A good care manager asks questions about your parent’s situation before jumping to solutions. They should be curious about your family dynamics, your parent’s preferences, and what’s already been tried.
How to Pay for These Services
Geriatric care management is largely an out-of-pocket expense. Traditional Medicare does not directly cover the services of a private geriatric care manager. Medicare does cover certain care management services when they’re provided through a physician’s office, such as chronic care management for patients with multiple ongoing conditions, but that’s a different service delivered by the medical team, not an independent care manager you hire.
Most private geriatric care managers charge hourly rates, typically ranging from $100 to $250 per hour depending on your region and the manager’s experience. The initial comprehensive assessment often costs more because it takes several hours and may include a home visit. After that, ongoing coordination might run a few hours per month for a relatively stable situation, or significantly more during a health crisis or transition to assisted living.
Some long-term care insurance policies reimburse for care management services, so check your parent’s policy. Veterans may have access to care coordination through VA programs. In some cases, Medicaid waiver programs cover case management for people who qualify based on income and level of need. If cost is a concern, your local Area Agency on Aging may offer basic care coordination services at no charge, though these tend to be less intensive than what a private care manager provides.
Signs You’ve Found the Right Fit
The best geriatric care manager for your family is someone whose expertise matches your parent’s specific challenges. If your mother has dementia, you want a care manager with deep experience in cognitive decline, not someone whose practice centers on post-surgical recovery. If your father is managing five chronic conditions and a dozen medications, you want someone with a strong clinical background who can conduct a thorough medication review and spot dangerous interactions.
Geography matters too. A care manager who is local to your parent, even if you live across the country, can visit the home, attend appointments in person, and respond quickly in a crisis. Ask whether they personally do home visits or delegate them to staff. Finally, trust your gut about the relationship. This person will be involved in intimate family decisions during stressful times. Feeling comfortable with how they communicate and how they handle disagreement is just as important as their résumé.