Emerging industry of care coordinators helps far-off relatives arrange needed services for aged and infirm

In part from the Los Angeles Times, March 2008

Here's help in choosing distance care wisely. Here are questions to ask before hiring a care manager for an older relative:

What are your credentials, and are you licensed in your profession? How long have you been providing care-management services? Are you available for emergencies? Does your company also provide in-home care? How do you communicate information to relatives? What are your fees (in writing)? Can you provide references?

Where to find help:

Eldercare Locator, overseen by the U.S. Administration on Aging, can point consumers toward agencies around the country that are concerned with aging: eldercare.gov; 1-800-677-1116 National Alliance for caregiving, a non-profit coalition of national organizations, focuses on issues of family caregiving: caregiving.org