At JF&CS, the expertise and compassion of our Geriatric Care Managers (GCMs) are essential to helping clients and their families navigate the complexities of elder care. Leading this dedicated team is Sarah South, whose extensive experience and compassion make her the ideal person to guide our services. With over 25 years of experience in everything from skilled nursing to memory care, Sarah understands the unique challenges families face when caring for aging loved ones. Under her leadership, our GCM team offers indispensable support, connecting families to critical resources and providing expert guidance to ensure that older adults receive the care and attention they deserve — at every stage of life.
Sarah South, Aging Care Services Manager
Sarah brings palpable passion to her role as Aging Care Services Manager. “I love what I do,” says Sarah. “It’s an honor to help our clients and their families in this way.”
Our GCMs don’t just serve their older adult clients, but their families, too. They are comprised of social workers, counselors, RNs, clinicians, and our in-home dementia specialist, working together to connect clients to our community of resources. When a client works with one of our GCMs through Aviv Older Adult Services, they’re also working with our entire team.
What Is Geriatric Care Management?
Geriatric Care Management is so uniquely tailored to each client that it can be hard to define, but Sarah explains that essentially, GCM services exist so that “when older adults fall, we’re there to soften the fall.”
Softening the fall looks different for everyone. “Every client has different needs,” explains Sarah. “I’m often the ‘boots on the ground’ for out-of-town families, making sure doctors’ appointments happen and summarizing them, vetting facilities and coordinating any moves, helping make tough decisions like continuing to drive or when to move to the next level of care, guiding them through the complexity of Medicare and Medicaid — the list goes on.”
Our dementia resources are uniquely helpful for clients experiencing memory decline. “We are so fortunate to have Samantha Freeman, MS, CPG, Certified Dementia Practitioner, on our staff,” highlights Sarah. “It can be difficult to get in with a Dementia Specialist through the healthcare system, but Samantha visits clients in the comfort of their own homes and coaches their families through the stages of dementia, providing helpful resources and training to help our clients continue living as fully as possible.”
Sarah, her client Callie, and Sarah’s dog, Pixie Belle.
The Heart of It All
Upon graduating college with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation, Sarah declared she would never work with old people (“G-d laughed,” she chuckles). She has since found that older adults are “the most interesting people on earth,” she says. “Even the people who don’t think they’ve done much have had these big, amazing lives where they’ve experienced so much, and they’re just incredible people,” she says, eyes welling with tears. “To see their humanity and what they’re struggling through, and how we can help make it better for them is so rewarding for me.”
Need a hand with elder care? Contact us today to connect with our expert Geriatric Care Managers, who will help ensure you or your loved one gets the care they deserve.