Care Manager
Carrie Ermshar has been an advocate serving families and senior living communities since 1991. As a college student studying health care administration, she volunteered with local Alzheimer’s programs and has been helping families navigate long-term care services ever since.
Her specific areas of focus include advocacy, community education, and connection of resources for families and senior living communities. A native of Nashville, TN, she was the CEO of LeadingAge TN (LATN) and honed her advocacy skills and knowledge of home and community-based services, hospice services for assisted living communities and medication technicians for nursing homes. She went on to advise the Tennessee Long-Term Choices Act and served on the Governor’s Task Force for Seniors.
Leveraging her practical industry experience, she helped develop the TransformAging Graduate Studies program for Lipscomb University and teaches university classes for leaders in senior living management. Since moving to Texas, Carrie has continued her work with senior living communities in the areas of risk management, team development, innovative services and care management.
At the heart of her work is community connection and assisting older adults and families achieve their goals for a higher quality of life. She brings to Elder Advisory Group a broad perspective of local and industry resources, and experienced energy to connect resources to clients. Carrie’s educational background includes a Bachelors in Corporate Communications and a Masters of Health Care Administration from Western Kentucky University, as well as a Nursing Home Administrator license for Kentucky and Tennessee.
According to the Aging Life Care® Association website, An Aging Life Care Professional, also known as a geriatric care manager, is a health and human services specialist who acts as a guide and advocate for families who are caring for older relatives or disabled adults. The Aging Life Care Professionals® is educated and experienced in any of several fields related to Aging Life Care / care management, including, but not limited to counseling, gerontology, mental health, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, or social work; with a specialized focus on issues related to aging and elder care.The Aging Life Care Professional assists clients in attaining their maximum functional potential. The individual’s independence is encouraged, while safety and security concerns are also addressed. Aging Life Care Professionals are able to address a broad range of issues related to the well-being of their client. They also have extensive knowledge about the costs, quality, and availability of resources in their communities.
Patients we accept include:
- Older adults with or without the support of nearby relatives.
- Older adults who need help with everyday tasks, but don't require nursing care.
- Patients suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
- Older adults struggling with complex medical needs.
Care Managers can be nurses, social workers, physical therapists, psychologists or other related professionals and are typically licensed in their specialty.
Our geriatric care management (GCM) services are private-pay. Medicare/insurance does not cover GCM services, and we do not accept Medicaid. Depending on individual policies, some long-term care (LTC) policies will cover the cost (in part or in whole) of GCM services. Please check with your LTC company regarding your policy prior to scheduling an appointment.
A care management client assessment is a comprehensive psychosocial tool that care managers utilize to evaluate an individual’s medical, emotional, mental and physical health in order to develop a coordinated plan to maximize overall health with aging.
Aging Life Care Association is the professional organization for professional care managers.
