Geriatric Assessment & Care Consultations, Client & Caregiver Counseling, & Referrals
As a certified geriatric mental health specialist, I provide the following services to older adults and their family members:
In-home and In-office Ongoing Supportive Counseling-- Therapy for clients, family members, and caregivers facing major life changes such as retirement, changing living situations, decreases in independence, chronic pain and illness, grief and loss.
Caregiver Counseling and Support-- Helping caregivers to maintain balance of care for the self as well as for the care receiver. Reducing burnout with stress management and focus on personal needs and goals.
Comprehensive Cognitive Assessments-- Differentiating between memory loss due to the natural aging process and actual memory and cognitive disorders such as dementia.
Mental Health Assessments-- Determining if there are any late onset or ongoing mental health issues and how those issues may be related to physical health, habits, and diet.
Functional Assessments-- Measuring capacity to perform activities of daily living.
Care Plan Development-- Comprehensive care planning for both now and the future with recommendations and referrals for in-home care, help with placement, and medication reviews with the purpose of supporting independent living for as long as possible.
Family Mediation-- Managing disagreements among family members regarding care for a loved one with the purposes of finding and developing a common ground where the client’s safety and quality of life are of primary concern.
Collaboration with MD-- Communicating with doctors involved with care in order to coordinate care to ensure all the client’s needs are being met and that everyone involved in care is looking at the bigger, more complex picture.
Fees: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment- $300. Includes a detailed cognitive and mental health assessment that considers ability to perform activities of daily living, to live independently, drive and travel safely, a medication review, evaluation of medical status and possible interactions with mental health state, and quality of life. Includes a written assessment and letter detailing recommendations, and a phone consultation with client or family member after assessment to discuss assessment in detail. Assessments usually take around 2 hours and is ideally, but not necessarily, performed in the home. They may be formal or informal depending on the client's insight and willingness to engage in formal assessments.
Ongoing caregiver counseling, psychotherapy, or further consultations, either via phone or in-person at the office or client's home, will be billed at my psychotherapy rate- $150 an hour. Couples and family counseling is $225 for each 90 minute session. See my psychotherapy page for details on fees there including information on fees for travel and sliding scales.
Please note that although I do provide long-term psychotherapy and family counseling, I do not provide on-going case management. I can provide you with referrals for private care managers if, after our initial consultation, you feel an ongoing care manager would be beneficial. If appropriate, I will provide a provisional diagnosis, but I will not provide a legal determination for guardianship. I can refer out to appropriate resources if guardianship is being sought.