Frequently Asked Questions

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How does your firm work with clients? Why should I hire your firm when I could do it myself? Why do you ask for so much information? What will you do with the information that you collect from me? What geographic area do you serve? Does Medicare or Medicaid cover your services? How do you charge for your services? How does your firm work with clients? We meet with you, our client and family at your home. In those familiar surroundings we talk about the situation that concerns you. Then we gather additional information that relates to the problem(s) you need to solve. After that meeting we analyze the problems, identify acceptable solutions and assure that selected providers have current capability to satisfy your needs. We prepare a care plan that includes recommended service provider referrals and costs involved to satisfy your needs. We meet again and discuss alternative solutions and agree on the actions to be taken. We work together to implement the care plan. You handle those aspects that you are comfortable with while we handle most of the details. Often a crisis has caused the family to act and their time is spent handling the immediate needs, while we take care of the near- and long-term needs. We also act as advocates for our clients. If the family is out of town, we can act on their behalf to assure that the older family member is being well cared for, in the absence of regular family visits. Back to top of page Why would someone hire your firm to find services when the family could select someone from the Internet or the Yellow Pages? Most of our clients are in some type of crisis situation, which is never a good time to make a decision. Their primary concern is the medical or physical condition of their family member. It takes time to educate yourself about the situation, possible solutions, providers, payers - and their time and energy is usually spent dealing with the crisis. We have built a network of carefully chosen providers. We have completed a thorough analysis, and met with staff and residents as part of this selection process. Each referral retirement community (Independent, Continuing Care, Continuum of Care, Assisted Living, or Skilled Nursing/ Rehab Facility) has been visited by us. Because we have reviewed many different providers we have the ability to compare their services and delivery quality. This experience enables us to assist you in matching your needs with the capabilities of the provider. Back to top of page Why do you ask for so much information? Each situation is unique and we provide personalized care plans. Often our clients have made decisions, or created legal situations that affect or limit what they may do in the future. Examples: A parent may have added an adult child's name to a deed, which may limit options for sale of the property. A married couple may have legally separated but may not have changed the life insurance policy beneficiary, which may limit access to funds needed for future care in a terminal illness. Irrevocable trusts may provide income for one partner but not to the survivor. Back to top of page What will you do with my information? We commit to you both personally and in our contract that we will maintain your personal information in strictest confidence. If we need to share this information with a provider, we will do so only after obtaining your permission at each instance. Back to top of page What geographic area do you serve? Schaefer + Associates, LLC works with clients in Maryland and South Central Pennsylvania. Back to top of page Does Medicare or Medicaid cover your services? No. We are a private, independent fee-for-services consulting firm. Back to top of page How do you charge for your services? Our fees are based on the type of service that the client needs. The best value is a complete assessment of the situation with a written care plan. Back to top of page