What Happened to CareManager.org

Planning and coordinating care for the elderly and others with long-term care needs is an intricate process. Even though many people consider the health side of geriatric care, it includes many other elements such as finance and legal planning, housing, nutritional services, and home care services. Aiming to bring together all these elements and the professionals involved in this business, the National Association of Private Geriatric Care Managers (NAPGCM) was formed in 1985.

CareManager.org was the official website of the association. However, anyone attempting to visit the website today will realize that it is no longer available. We took some time to find out what happened to the site. We also look at the history of NAPGCM and identify other organizations providing services for seniors.

The Work of Geriatric Care Managers

Geriatric care involves both caring for and meeting the long-term needs of the elderly and individuals with physical or mental impairments. Geriatric care managers have often been described as “professional relatives“.

According to the National Institute of Aging, geriatric care managers are usually trained professionals. Their role is to assist families in creating a long-term care plan. They also assist with ensuring that families have the required resources as their needs change.

History of NAPGCM

When the NAPGCM was formed in 1985, it was the first organization to represent many of the pioneers of the emerging field of geriatric care. But not all members were entrepreneurs. Some ran nonprofit agencies that had also been providing similar services (Source).

Including the Professionals

In 1993, when members realized that geriatric care was not the exclusive domain of entrepreneurs, they agreed to change the name of the organization. It became the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers (Source).

Building Confidence in Care Managers

As the profession grew, the organization recognized the need to maintain rigorous standards. This acknowledgment was driven by the need to ensure that consumers, potential employers, and other professionals had confidence when selecting a care manager. In conjunction with several other aging network associations, the NAPGCM developed a credentialing program for care managers. The program, dubbed the National Academy of Certified Care Managers (NACCM), provided certification beginning in 1996.

In August 2006, members approved new requirements for all members. The new requirements included a mandatory certificate of at least one of several certifications listed on the organization’s website. The conditions took effect on January 1, 2010. This requirement elevated the profession and gave registered care managers the credibility they needed to further their practice (Source).

Meanwhile, the geriatric care profession, and indeed, the American healthcare system as a whole began to transform. NAPGCM recognized that care management had taken a holistic approach in that care managers had to manage the entire spectrum of client needs. The organization used technology to enhance its members’, and even consumers’, access to more information. This is the time when the website CareManager.org became extremely useful.

Thirty years after NAPGCM was established, the board of directors voted to change the name of the organization. From May 1, 2015, the organization became the Aging Life Care Association (ALCA). The members of the organization are now known as “Aging Life Care Professionals” (Source).

Establishing CareManager.org

Even though NAPGCM was established in 1985, its website, CareManager.org first appeared on the Internet around August 2000. It had a simple home page design that, at a glance, revealed what the association was all about. The website had several sections, including a members-only page, a page where visitors could find a care manager, a resources page, a news and events page, and an image gallery.

In 2004, CareManager.org released a new look, though it seemed more of an aesthetic change than a functional one, since the site offered more or less the same functionality.

In 2007, the website went through yet another redesign, this time featuring links to only three pages on its homepage. The first link directed visitors on how and where to find a Care Manager. The next link pointed to a page that contained information about Geriatric Care Management while the third link was a member’s only page. In 2015, CareManager.org began to direct users to AgingLifecare.org.

What Then Happened to CareManager.org?

Today, a search for the site brings back the message, “This site can’t be reached.” It is still unclear what happened to CareManager.org. It is possible that this is one of those websites that fell by the wayside when the organizations that owned them moved on.

Other Services for Seniors

We looked around to identify other services that people looking for geriatric care could turn to.

HelpGuide.org: Offers home care services for seniors. The organization uses an approach which realizes that there are people who prefer to remain in their own homes as they get older. Hence, the organization facilitates the option where seniors maintain ties with their communities while they receive home care services from professionals.

AgingInPlace.org: Assists people to care for seniors by preparing the caregivers, the affected families, and their homes in readiness for successful aging. They go beyond patient care to offer new, assistive technology as well as modifying homes to accommodate geriatric patients.

Self-Help for the Elderly: Operates mostly within the San Francisco area. According to the nonprofit organization, it serves more than 40,000 seniors on an annual basis.

VisitingAngels.com: Provides “lifecare navigation” services (custom programs that help ensure dignified and compassionate care for the aging). They work to ensure that seniors can remain as independent as possible in their sunset years.

GeriatricNursing.org: Provides information about issues linked to the psychological care for the elderly. One of the elements that make this organization unique is that it deals with matters relating to death and funeral arrangements too. It also deals with issues linked to sexual health and sexual orientation among the elderly.