California’s population is
getting older. By 2040, the number of residents 65 and older is
expected to rise by 59 percent, from 5.7 million to more than 9
million, according to the
Public Policy Institute of
California. Longer
lifespans, chronic health conditions and a strong preference for
aging at home are also driving the demand for aging life care
consultants who can help families ensure their loved ones receive
the best possible care.
Liz Heape-Caldwell is co-owner of Elder Options in Placerville.
(Courtesy photo)
Few
understand the complexities of aging and caregiving better than
Liz Heape-Caldwell. As co-owner of Elder Options in Placerville
and a Certified Aging Life Care Manager, she helps families
navigate the health care system for their aging loved ones. She’s
also part of the “sandwich generation,” balancing the demands of
raising children while caring for aging parents. That delicate
balance became deeply personal when her own mother, Carol,
suffered two strokes in 2024.
“I’ve been doing this work for a
long time, but experiencing it as a daughter and having to
navigate care for my mom was eye-opening,” says
Heape-Caldwell.
Her mother, now retired, founded
Elder Options in 1988 as a sole proprietor. Today, they co-own
the business, which employs 75 staff members who serve as care
managers and provide home care to clients. They work with
families throughout Placerville and the greater Sacramento area,
serving both private-pay clients and those on Medi-Cal through
the assisted living waiver program.
“I’ve been a care manager for 23
years and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Heape-Caldwell
says. “I love helping families, and it’s an honor to provide
older adults with care and guidance.”
As the 2026 president of the
Aging Life Care Association’s Western Regional Chapter,
Heape-Caldwell and her colleagues serve as advocates for clients
and their families. While much of their work focuses on older
adults, she says they also support people across the age
spectrum.
“We are seeing a shift with
younger people who have mental health challenges or
neurodiversity,” she explains. “Many adult children have lived
with their parents their whole lives, and now their parents are
aging. Families worry about what will happen if a parent has a
stroke or becomes ill. Who will care for the adult child they’ve
always supported?”
A whole person approach
Heape-Caldwell says aging life
care consultants emphasize a whole person approach to
care.
“We focus on the health and
well-being of the individual,” she says. “If someone is at home
and has had multiple hospitalizations, we start by stabilizing
their medical care, but then we also look at what’s missing in
their life. Maybe they used to go to church every Sunday or
attend a knitting group on Mondays but have stopped. Part of our
job is helping bring those activities back and ensuring their
quality of life in addition to maintaining stable health.”
Unfortunately, her first contact
with families is often during a crisis.
“I’d love for people to reach out
earlier. A few come to talk about future planning, but most of
the time we’re called in when it’s urgent,” Heape-Caldwell says.
“When a parent or grandparent has a medical crisis, families are
bombarded with opinions from doctors, physical therapists, and
hospital staff. Everyone can have a different opinion on next
steps, and it’s overwhelming. If they live far away, it’s even
worse.”
The role of an aging life care
consultant, Heape-Caldwell explains, is to step in, review all
options and guide families through the process. That might
include accompanying patients to doctor’s appointments,
identifying gaps in care or helping with financial or insurance
issues related to care.
“If mom just had a stroke, we
determine if she’s eligible for acute rehab or skilled nursing,”
Heape-Caldwell says. “We talk to doctors, coordinate care and
make sure families feel supported instead of navigating it
alone.”
The questions she hears most
often are: “What’s next? I don’t know what to do or what kind of
care my mom needs.”
“Often a parent who was living
independently has a sudden stroke, and now doctors are
recommending skilled nursing care,” Heape-Caldwell says.
“Families worry she’ll end up just lying in bed with no support.
They want to know whether skilled nursing will be temporary or if
she’ll stay there long-term.”
Once a client is in a skilled
nursing facility, or care home, Heape-Caldwell says her team
stays in close contact with the case manager and rehab doctor to
plan for a potential discharge.
“We work on that plan to ensure
the right medical equipment and home modifications are in place,
maybe a commode, shower grab bar, or other supports,” she says.
“We also help set up caregiver services. Even after the client
transitions home, we stay involved to make sure the care
continues smoothly.”
Families can retain the services
of an aging life care consultant for as long as they need.
“We may check in once a month,
and if something happens, we can step in and be more involved,”
Heape-Caldwell says. “Or sometimes, a family is just overwhelmed
and just needs us to jump in and develop a plan for the
short-term.”
Although aging life care
consultants aren’t new, and the field is growing, Heape-Caldwell
says many families don’t realize this kind of help exists.
“I think it’s partly a lack of
awareness, but I also think a lot of families believe they need
to handle it all by themselves,” she says.
Helping families find
answers and care
Rebecca Johnson, a social worker
with over 25 years of experience and owner of Your Elder Care
Specialist in El Dorado Hills, realized how complex elder care is
when her 89-year-old mother-in-law needed medical care.
Rebecca Johnson is owner of Your Elder Care Specialist in El
Dorado Hills. (Courtesy photo)
“I knew
how to navigate mental health care and pediatric health care
through my career as a social worker, but when it came to
Medicare, Medi-Cal, skilled nursing and care homes, I was lost,”
Johnson admits.
After being introduced to an
elder care specialist, Johnson learned what her mother-in-law
qualified for in terms of benefits and how to ensure she received
appropriate care.
“I was so intrigued by the job
that I decided I wanted to make a shift in my career,” she says.
In 2016, Johnson launched Your Elder Care Specialist, offering
families in Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer counties assessment
and placement services to help them navigate the complexities of
senior care.
“I believe knowledge is power
when it comes to helping families make the right decisions,” she
says. Johnson supports clients as they navigate options such as
assisted living, memory care facilities, board and care homes,
in-home providers, and hospice services. “My goal is to ensure
families understand all their options so that we can find
solutions that fit both their needs and their budget.”
Related: Sheri
Peifer Is Building Communities Where Aging Comes With
Purpose
On a typical day, Johnson meets
with families and tours two to three care communities alongside
them.
“We walk through the facility
with them, answer their questions, make sure that they understand
the nuances of how a community operates, what’s provided and
what’s not,” she says. “Once they’ve made a choice, we guide them
through the next steps, from completing paperwork to coordinating
moving logistics if needed.”
She also works closely with
families whose loved ones are preparing to leave the hospital but
aren’t sure what level of care comes next.
“Once a discharge date is set, we
make sure they’re connected with the right resources, whether
that’s in-home care, home health, hospice or other support
services,” she explains. “We’ll also review available benefits,
since certain health care plans can help offset costs.
Like many aging life care
professionals, Johnson is often called in when families are
facing a sudden health crisis. It might be a parent with dementia
who has wandered from home or a serious health event that makes
living alone no longer safe.
“Sometimes it’s a fall or a
medical event that lands someone in the ER, and suddenly doctors
are saying they need 24-hour care and may be discharged as soon
as the next day,” Johnson says. “In those moments, families are
overwhelmed. We’re able to step in quickly and help them navigate
what needs to happen next.”
As older adults transition to a
new living arrangement, Johnson makes sure the move is
seamless.
“We follow up with both the care
facility and the family after a couple of days and later after a
few weeks to ensure everything is going well,” she says. “We
always want to make sure that everybody’s happy and that our
relationship doesn’t end at placement. We’re always open to them
calling and asking questions.”
Johnson notes that the health
care system is constantly evolving, with programs and benefits
frequently changing, making it difficult for families to navigate
care on their own. And with skilled nursing facilities in
Sacramento averaging between $12,000 and $15,000 a month, cost is
often a major concern.
“We’re often approached by adult
children who worry their parents don’t have the financial
resources for care or are living solely on Social Security,” she
says. “We walk them through all their options, looking at whether
they qualify for veterans’ benefits, how to apply for Medi-Cal,
and how to navigate those systems effectively. We can also
suggest alternatives like board and care homes, that may be more
budget-friendly while still meeting their care needs.”
Johnson says she often works with
families who are struggling with feelings of guilt, especially
when a parent’s medical needs become too complex to manage at
home.
“Guilt is incredibly common,” she
says. “We help families work through those emotions and
understand that choosing additional care isn’t giving up, it’s
about keeping their loved one safe. When someone is aging and
living with dementia, their health and safety are the top
priority.”
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