About Umbrella Care Management
After years of caring for her ailing grandmother and catastrophically injured father-in-law, Umbrella Care Management founder, Barbara Wilhelmy, R.N., B.S.N, C.C.M, was inspired to launch Umbrella Care Management as a resource for other, if less-informed, family caregivers.
Her company now provides services to families throughout the Hudson Valley, New Jersey, and New York City.
Barbara brings 25 years of professional nursing experience to the company. Her passion for disabled and older adults'
quality of life issues developed during the 19 years she worked as a case manager in diverse settings including a national
insurance company, a long-term care facility, and a regional medical center. Most recently she was employed as the Director
of Case Management Services for a regional disability company. Because the American medical system is actually a disconnected
collection of medical businesses, elderly and disabled populations are routinely put at unnecessary risk. With patients often
facing complex, interrelated medical issues and seeing multiple providers, these businesses rarely coordinate their efforts
to provide the very best quality of care for their patients.
Umbrella Care Management acts as the portal through which all of a patient's medical issues and social needs pass. Rather
than viewing a patient's situation as independent pieces, Umbrella Care Management nationally certified case managers -registered nurses
and licensed social workers - employ a concept known as patient-centered care. Using this model, case managers evaluate the
patient's "whole picture," create a comprehensive plan to address interrelated problems, and coordinate services to ensure
the best possible outcome and quality of life.
Our services are tailored to meet your precise needs; they range from ad hoc consultation services all the way to comprehensive,
intensive case management. As a testament to our professionalism, credibility, and overall effectiveness at improving clients'
quality of life, Umbrella Care Management is the exclusive case management consultant for the MS Society of America in
Orange and Sullivan Counties in New York. We provide a vast array of services covering all aspects of senior and disabled adults'
well-being. To provide an all-inclusive list would be impracticable. However, some of our more popular services include:
Crisis Intervention
Often, this is the time when families first realize the benefit of care management. When a loved one is in dire circumstances
and families are exhausted, they often turn to care managers to take over the situation, alleviate stress, and bring
calm to an otherwise chaotic state of affairs.
Comprehensive patient assessments
The assessment is the foundation of care management and provides a roadmap for the care plan which can be
implemented by the patient's family or an Umbrella care manager.
Patient Advocacy --ask doctors tough questions and fight for the best care
Our foremost responsibility is to advocate in the best interest of the patient while balancing the needs
of their family. One of the primary means to advocate is to communicate regularly with physicians and primary
medical providers who have the greatest influence over patient's quality of life. This "communication" often
takes the form of expert oversight meant to hold providers accountable for the care they prescribe and offers
quality assurance to patients and concerned family members alike.
Ongoing management and oversight of care
Some patients may only require an assessment which provides a roadmap for future care. Others may need ongoing
care management. Some may choose to use a care manager a few hours a month while others will do so for specific
services or more complex issues only. Many caregivers request that care managers coordinate all of the patient's
medical and social needs to alleviate the overwhelming stress so common among caregivers.
"Age in place" solutions
"Age in place" has become a prominent phrase as baby boomers age and long-term assisted living housing is at a premium.
Age in place simply means finding a way for older adults to stay at home rather than moving to a long-term care facility.
Sometimes there is no alternative. However, our care managers are well versed in technology, home modification, home care,
and durable medical equipment solutions that often offer a viable option to seniors who prefer to age in place.
Care transition coordination
This is an important topic receiving increased attention in the healthcare community and media alike. A transition of care
takes place when a patient moves between care settings, such as when a patient leaves the hospital and returns home or goes
to a rehabilitation facility. Care transitions also occur when a patient's condition or situation changes. Lack of coordination
during care transitions is, unfortunately, quite frequent and can be disastrous for everyone involved. Medication errors and
a failure to transfer important information and are two of the most frequently cited problems occuring during care transitions.
Long-term care and housing planning
Where will your older family member reside as they age? This is one of the most common dilemmas faced by caregivers yet is
rarely planned for. Our care managers will help devise a strategy to ensure that all facets of aging are carefully planned to
maximize asset preservation, legal protection, and overall health - issues that are of particular concern when older persons
require care in assisted living facilities. When assisted care is needed, either for rehabilitation or long term care, we can
obviate common missteps taken by well-intentioned family members and maximize the chances of admission to a preferred facility.
Medicare and Medicaid consultation
The byzantine rules of Medicare and Medicaid are daunting. We can help provide clarity regarding coverage and eligibility
issues and handle providers who themselves are often ill-informed on the subjects as well.
Schedule and accompany patients to appointments and accurately relay information
Though our scheduling service is most often used by families living at a distance from their aging loved ones, local caregivers
see the same benefit from the presence of an Umbrella care manager at patients' medical appointments. Our care managers'
medical expertise, professionalism, and overall healthcare acumen tend to garner more thorough and thoughtful answers from medical
providers. Our care managers are then able to succinctly convey that information to concerned family members.
Locate and coordinate community resources
Many families contact Umbrella Care Management when they're at a loss as to the best course of action to
take for an ill or injured senior adult. One of the primary functions Umbrella Care Management serves is to
ensure the patient's best care while engaging community resources to alleviate caregiver stress and financial burden.
These resources may include government, non-profit and private programs. We often find that our fees are offset by the
community and entitlement benefits we find for a patient.
Coordinate services with other members of the health care team
Research shows that patients who receive treatment under a coordinated care system such as the patient-centered
care model utilized by our care managers experience better outcomes across the full spectrum of aging issues. A few
examples: Emergency room visits and hospital admissions reduced by at least 50% among high-risk elderly patients; The
reduced functionality usually associated with hospital discharges of the elderly is mitigated; Agitation in Alzheimer's
patients is reduced with a correlated reduction in caregiver stress.
Source: US Dept. of Health and Human Services. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses.
End of life counseling and hospice planning
Our care manager's role as an advocate for older persons engenders a unique relationship between care manager
and patient - a role that is generally well regarded by patients who seek to discuss end of life issues with a
trusted companion outside the family circle. Care managers are uniquely positioned to have frank conversations
with dying patients and are able to facilitate the difficult decisions that must be made jointly by patients and families.
Regional network of financial experts
The fact that many older adults fail to plan for their eventual declining health can be catastrophic to family assets.
Our comprehensive assessment includes an evaluation of a patient's legal and financial preparedness respective to their current
medical condition. When appropriate, we are able to provide referrals to our regional network of attorneys who can advise
clients on options to preserve assets and obviate legal disputes.
Liaison service for families at a distance or otherwise unavailable
Families living at a distance or otherwise unavailable are even more susceptible to communication problems with medical
providers and often feel "out of the loop." Umbrella care managers bridge that gap by communicating with providers,
scheduling and accompanying patients to appointments, and relaying information to family members.
Coordination and supervision of in-home care and companion services
When home care is required for elderly or disabled persons, we are happy to refer families to trusted providers.
Regardless of the referral source, however, home caregivers are entrusted to work otherwise unsupervised in patient's homes.
Umbrella care managers can provide you peace of mind by regularly conducting unannounced visits to ensure quality of
care and hold caregivers accountable to a third party.
Home safety evaluations
Living independently is often the most important factor to older adults as they age. As older adults age, family
members are often concerned for the safety of their loved ones at home. Safety evaluations can provide objective
Mediate family disagreements regarding care options
Caring for aging loved ones creates inordinate stress on family members. Umbrella care managers can
provide objective, expert opinions on care options which are often cited as a means to mediate disagreements among
family caregivers.
Quality assurance monitoring at acute and long-term care facilities
Without a medical background or sufficient time to regularly evaluate the care a loved one is receiving at a long
term care facility, family members may find comfort in receiving objective care evaluations from Umbrella care
managers. Such evaluations can be routine or on an as needed basis to address particular concerns.
National referral network
No matter where you're located, we're happy to answer questions and refer you to a trusted NAPGCM affiliate anywhere in the country.
Areas of Practice
Assessment, Placement, Education, Referrals, Care Management, Family/Professional Liaison, Homecare Services
Licenses & Certifications
- State Licensed Registered Nurse
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Nationally Certified Case Manager
