Geriatric care management is the process of planning and coordinating care for the elderly and others with physical and/or mental disabilities to meet their long-term care needs, improve their quality of life, and maintain their independence for as long as possible. It involves working with older people and their families to manage, deliver, and refer a variety of health and social care services. Geriatric care managers accomplish this by combining a working knowledge of health, psychology, human development, family dynamics, public and private resources, and funding sources with advocacy for their clients throughout the continuum of care. For example, they may assist families of older adults and others with chronic needs such as those with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. Geriatric care management integrates health and psychological care with other needed services such as housing, home care services, nutrition services, assistance with activities of daily living, and socialization programs, as well as financial and legal planning. A care plan tailored to the specific circumstances is developed after a comprehensive assessment, and is continually monitored and modified as needed. A comprehensive geriatric assessment is an in-depth, comprehensive/complete evaluation that can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours, and is divided into two or three assessment visits with the patient and family members. The comprehensive assessment is actually a series of smaller individual assessments, beginning with an initial assessment that includes demographic data as well as health history, social history, and legal/financial history. It then assesses the medication profile, as well as assessing ADLs and IADLs. Other assessments may include a fall risk assessment, home safety assessment, nutritional assessment, depression assessment, pain assessment, mini-mental status examination, mini-clock drawing test, balance assessment, and gait assessment. If the comprehensive geriatric assessment is performed by a registered nurse, a physical assessment may be included, such as vital signs such as temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and sometimes diabetes tests such as FBS or RBS. Physical assessments are also performed in areas such as cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, genitourinary, eye, ear, nose and throat, lower extremity examination, modified neurological assessment and medication compliance assessment. Geriatric care managers typically have prior training in nursing, social work, geriatrics or other health services fields. They are expected to have extensive knowledge of the costs, quality and availability of services in their communities. In some countries and jurisdictions, they may be certified by various professional associations, such as the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers in the United States. Professional care managers help individuals, families and other caregivers adapt to and meet the challenges of aging or disability by: