I live in the southeastern part of Kansas. My 80-plus-year-old parents live in Atlanta. They’re both in relatively good health, but I think taking care of themselves and their home is becoming harder. If there were some way they could get a lunch brought to the home and assistance with some of the harder housework, I’d feel better about them. Our family is certainly willing to pay for these services, but I don’t know where to begin to find them in a location so far away.

Taking care of parents as they grow older offers many challenges. That is multiplied many times over if you live far away. Long-distance caretaking is quite common in our mobile society. Fortunately, there is help in lost locations.

What you need is a geriatric care manager. This is a relatively new profession made up mostly of social workers and nurses who are experienced in working with older adults and know the services in their community.

Care managers help clients choose the right care. They know the track records of providers and keep up with what’s available, something families rarely have the time or expertise to do.

A good care manager:

Meets the client and family in their home to assess the older person’s strengths, limitations and abilities to carry out the tasks of daily living.

Develops a plan of services to meet their needs.

Recommends specific businesses or individuals to carry out the plan.

Adult children who live far away can hire a care manager to be their “eyes and ears,” visiting their parents periodically and reporting back. Since there are no licensing requirements governing who can be a care manager, anyone can hang out their shingle. Here are three questions you should ask of a prospective care manager:

What is your experience and training working with older people?

Do you assess your client’s needs in person?

Do you have personal knowledge of the people/agencies/facilities you recommend?

Care managers charge for their services, ranging from $50 to $125 an hour depending on the state and services provided.

There are several ways to locate care managers in another city or state.

Call your local Area Agency on Aging and ask for the Information and Assistance Service. That person can tell you the phone number for their counterpart in Atlanta. Call there and ask for the list of providers you need.

l Call the national Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 and do the same.

l On the Internet, go to www.eldercare.gov. Put in the state and your parents’ zip code, and you’ll have all the information on your screen in seconds.