Our partners – Lifespan of Greater Rochester Inc., Entrusted Care LLC, and Mark McDermott of Touching Hearts at Home – are leading community experts in caring for older adults. Our management team holds decades of experience in social work, home care, legal, and business management. We are certified by Aging Life Care Association and EssentiALZ trained by the Alzheimer’s Association. Our team includes care managers from various disciplines including nursing, social work, senior living, and finance, providing the peace of mind you deserve.
There are several ways we are different. First, we are certified by Aging Life Care Association. Secondly, while some other care managers limit days of the week and times of day that you can count on their support, we have a 24/7 communication approach and emergency response options. Third, we cover a much larger geographic range than most other private care managers – 6 counties in the Greater Rochester Area. Finally, we take a more comprehensive and collaborative approach to care management than many other organizations.
Having a care manager from an insurance company or doctor’s office is very positive and we encourage maximizing their support. In our experience, care managers assigned by these entities have limited resources and scope to meet many of the needs of older adults. We offer a more comprehensive, “concierge” approach including in-person care and continuity. In addition, we believe we generally have more experience, knowledge, and resources to meet the broad range of older adults’ needs. If a person’s needs can be completely met by no-cost care management provided by another party, then we certainly encourage that path. For people who need or want more, we are here for you.
We typically charge an initial assessment fee. (We do not charge clients for a short initial phone call to determine whether our services are appropriate for the circumstances, so please call us if you are interested in our services.) Any additional assessments required, such as a PRI, may involve additional charges. After our initial assessment, we usually charge an hourly rate for on-going care management services.
We bill monthly and payment is due upon receipt by automatic payment from a bank account. We do not accept credit card payments. Our Service Engagement Agreement provides more specifics regarding our charges.
We are a private pay care management service. In most situations, our client or their family pays directly for our services. Sometimes a client’s long-term care insurance policy, if they have one, will cover our services. Private health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid do not pay for our care.
Usually not, except for some long-term care insurance policies.
We begin with a short phone call to determine whether our services are a fit for the situation, then proceed to an Initial Consultation which includes getting to know each other better, gathering important information, and completing documents that formally engage our services. The Initial Consultation usually lasts about 90 minutes. From there, you decide if you’d like to engage Together in Caring to proceed with assisting your situation, or if you’d like to take our recommendations and put them into place on your own.
Often within 1-2 business days we can arrange an Initial Consultation.
Yes. We have a great program called “Well-Prepared.” It enables us to respond right away to support you if and when an emergency arises. It entails getting to know each other, paperwork, and assessments completed in advance. Please call us if you are interested.
You will usually have one care manager assigned to be your primary point of contact. You may have multiple staff involved in your care, depending on your wishes, needs, and our staff members’ expertise. We collaborate internally to maximize the support you receive. You will never be a number to us and never receive “revolving door” treatment at Together in Caring.
Lifespan is 1 of 3 owners of the Together in Caring LLC. Like any business owner, they take part in the profit or loss of the business. Their employees and nonprofit operations are completely separate. They continue to serve the aging population as before with over 30 distinct programs that reach people from all socio-economic walks of life. Lifespan may make referrals to Together in Caring when private duty care seems most appropriate, but it will also make referrals to other care management organizations to provide consumers with a choice. When making a referral to Together in Caring, Lifespan will disclose that they have an ownership interest so that consumers may consider that fact when making a choice of services.
A Patient Review Instrument (PRI) is an assessment developed by the New York State Department of Health, is required for admission into a Skilled Nursing Facility, and is valid for 90 days. Together in Caring charges a one-time fee of $250.00 for this assessment.
