Experienced Senior Care Consultant in the Torrance area
How Age Well South Bay supports your elders and your family through the challenges of aging.
Hover over the images or scroll down to learn more about each service.
Health & Disability
Care Managers (including 'Geriatric Care', 'Aging Life Care™', or 'Senior Care' Managers) are highly specialized in the subjects of gerontology and geriatrics. These fields of study primarily relate to elder care, ranging from natural aging processes to acute and chronic illnesses. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Aging Life Care™ Professional, Blanca has considerable experience working with seniors facing a wide spectrum of health and disability symptoms. Her clients can rest assured that they are getting excellent advice tailored for each individual's health requirements. Based on the level of attention necessary for a comfortable and healthy lifestyle, Blanca can suggest the best home health or hospice care for your aging loved ones. Blanca also refers you to her network of leading gerontologists, therapists, elderly care homes and retirement communities that fit your elder's desired lifestyle.
Advocacy
As your loved ones age, their needs can get complicated. From an array of medicines to treatment scheduling and a series of different healthcare providers, it can be challenging to coordinate and properly manage all the care requirements. With her experience, Blanca can clearly advocate for her clients' medical and personal needs, and provide suggestions or alternatives that afford comfort without compromising health. She is also trained to communicate with seniors facing speech issues and helps articulate their needs to the healthcare team. Blanca truly treats each client as an individual, but she also recognizes that similar concerns from different clients may need a broader scope of care. As an ALCA member and LCSW, Blanca can raise common issues to the respective healthcare associations and advocate the needs of the seniors' community to help tailor the support they receive.
Families
ALCA research has yielded new findings that Aging Life Care Professionals have a major impact not only on elderly patients, but their primary caregivers and families too. Blanca sits with families to construct a care plan that covers home health, treatments, palliative care and financial planning. Spouses, partners and children of seniors play a large part in their quality of life during geriatric care. Blanca supplements these efforts by training, counselling and preparing family members for the challenges that come with aging, while also empowering a positive and caring relationship between the client and their family. If a nursing home or hospice would better suit the client's situation, Blanca guides the families on caring for their loved one from a distance. She bridges the family's lifestyle with the needs of the client so that all involved are aware and can cope with the changes that come with a senior care plan. Finally, Blanca can provide resources for grief and trauma counselling as well as funeral arrangements, so that your family can have peace of mind.
Local Resources
Through her extensive network of healthcare professionals and local community resources, Blanca has access and provides relevant information for each client's situation. There is a lot of information available online but Blanca takes an individualized approach, ensuring that the most pertinent and helpful resources are coming to her clients. She can help find local support groups for seniors with similar conditions, like speech therapy or Alzheimer's, where clients can take comfort in knowing they are not alone. Blanca also provides resources related to housing, financial planning and tips for families to keep supporting their loved ones and achieve their aging goals.
Housing
An important consideration for elderly clients is home care versus care centers, which can be overwhelming without the right planning and resources. Blanca's network as a Geriatric Care Manager places her with connections at highly reputable facilities for assisted living as well top certified geriatric doctors, nurses and healthcare practitioners for those who prefer home care. She has personally visited many of the senior care centers in the South Bay and can recommend the best fit for your budget and lifestyle. She can also suggest numerous home accessibility improvements like ramps, adjustable showers, grab bars, handrails, stair lifts and other alterations that can make the home safer for the elderly. Blanca encourages that planning for senior care should in fact should start before reaching retirement age. That way, your future housing needs are taken into account well in advance and you can plan for a comfortable future lifestyle.
Financial
Geriatric Care Managers understand that the finance and legal matters around care planning, retirement budgeting, wealth management and estate transfer are complex. Blanca has helped many clients navigate the California state and federal programs that are available to seniors. She can provide resources for budget management, investment planning and tax management in addition to preparing housing and senior care financial plans. Blanca always seeks her clients' peace of mind, explaining the grants or loans that may apply to ease the monetary and legal pressures of the healthcare system. She works closely with her clients' Power of Attorney, connecting them with financial advisors, lawyers, notaries and other professional services that can help from retirement until conclusion of affairs for the family. With her personalized approach, Blanca advocates that her clients' wishes are followed by all professionals so that the senior and family are satisfied with the outcomes.