AUGUSTA — Spectrum Generations has announced the expansion of their Bridges Help at Home Geriatric Care Management Division to include Home Safety Assessments. Bridges Help at Home provides in-home care for help with hygiene, housekeeping or transportation, LifeAid Medical Alert Systems and geriatric care management and consulting.

One in every three seniors over the age of 65 will have a fall this year. Geriatric care management is a little known service that can bring a world of change to caregivers living near or far away. The home safety assessment is a detailed review of a consumer’s home which includes all livable space, storage, basement, garage and the grounds immediate surrounding the home.

Care Managers help by communicating or mediating difficult family meetings; making sense of the situation and offering solutions to make it manageable again; providing consultations to help prepare for the unexpected; determining what care is needed to keep loved ones living independently; reviewing the living arrangements for safety and making recommendations for improvement; performing a benefits eligibility check; coordinating care when multiple agencies, doctors and professionals are involved; determining options for care and ensuring there isn’t duplicative care.

Pat Greenleaf, LPN and professional geriatric care manager, is accepting referrals and questions at 623-0764, ext. 102. The public is invited to call Spectrum Generations Consumer Helpline at 1-800-639-1553 or visit www.spectrumgenerations.org.