What Does a Care Manager Do? (And When Should Your Family Call One?)

Reviewed by Tina Rains, RN · 2026-10-21

Quick answer

A care manager is a trained professional, often a nurse or social worker, who helps a family make and carry out decisions about an aging parent's care. They assess what has changed, explain the options, coordinate doctors, home care and senior living, and stay involved afterward. Families usually call when something has just happened, like a fall or hospital stay, or when they feel something is off but do not know what to do.

The moment most families call

It rarely starts as a plan. It starts with a phone call: Mom fell. Dad was admitted to the hospital. Or you visited at the holidays and realized the house, the mail and the medications were not what they used to be. You are suddenly making decisions about doctors, home care, insurance and sometimes a move, often from another city and often with siblings who see things differently. This is the situation a care manager is for.

What a care manager actually does

Assessing the situation: a nurse looks at health, safety, memory, mobility and daily routines and explains what she sees in plain language.
Building a plan: which needs are urgent, which can wait, what the realistic choices are.
Coordinating the people involved: doctors, specialists, home care agencies, caregivers, therapists and, when it is time, senior living communities.
Going to appointments: many care managers attend visits, ask the questions families forget, and report back.
Helping with a move: touring communities, comparing them honestly, managing paperwork and the transition.
Checking in afterward: regular visits or calls to catch small problems early.
Being a calm voice for the family: helping siblings get on the same page.

A care manager is usually not the hands-on caregiver. She coordinates and oversees the care.

Signs it is time to call

Your parent was recently hospitalized or discharged and the plan feels unclear.
You live far away and cannot see how they are really doing.
Several doctors are involved and no one seems to be coordinating.
You are weighing assisted living or memory care and do not know where to start.
Family members disagree about what to do.
You are exhausted and the caregiving is taking over your own life.

If two or more are true, a conversation is worth having. For more warning signs see 10 Signs a Parent May Need Help.

What does it cost?

Care managers typically charge by the hour, and published rates vary widely by location and experience. Medicare and Medicaid generally do not pay for private care management, and most private insurance does not either. Some long-term care insurance policies may cover part of it, so check the policy. We are finalizing Masterpiece Care's care navigation fees and will share them on our Care Navigation page; your first conversation with Tina is free.

In a 2025 survey of nearly 200 families commissioned by the Aging Life Care Association, 93% said the benefits outweighed the cost. The survey was small and not nationally representative, and the association that commissioned it represents care managers, so treat it as a useful signal, not proof.

How to choose one

Ask any care manager these questions:

What is your professional background and license?
How are you paid, and do you receive any fee from home care agencies, caregivers or senior living communities?
Who do you work for?
How do you communicate with the family and how fast do you respond?
What do you do in an emergency or after hours?

Good answers are specific and easy to understand. If you do not get them, keep looking.

If something is changing with a parent in Palm Beach County and you are not sure what to do next, you do not need to have it all figured out before you call.

Talk it through with Tina. Free 15-minute conversation

Call Tina at (561) 320-3739 · Get Help Now

This article is educational and does not replace a medical assessment. In an emergency, call 911.

Masterpiece Care's nurse-guided care navigation is led by Tina Rains, RN and is separate from caregiver referrals through Palm Beach Nurse Registry, LLC, Florida Licensed Nurse Registry #30213103 (AHCA). Caregivers referred through Palm Beach Nurse Registry, LLC are independent contractors. The registry does not supervise or train them. The examples above describe care management generally; they are not a list of services promised by Masterpiece Care. See our Care Navigation page for what Tina helps with.