Navigating a complex healthcare system can be a challenging task, especially for an aging population. Therefore, it’s advisable to have a healthcare advocate who properly understands the needs of your loved ones and also knows what’s best suited for their health.
- Keeping track: A healthcare advocate is someone who specializes in the task of analyzing the past and present medical conditions of a senior and accordingly decides upon a future course of action. They are also well-aware of any adverse reactions that the senior might face due to certain medications.
- Better understanding: Quite often, in the case of aging adults, there may be few people including doctors that will take the time to carefully listen and understand their issues. A health advocate plays a vital role in understanding the core challenges of seniors since they have a diverse set of experiences. Sometimes they are in a better position to resolve issues pertaining to aging adults than doctors themselves.
- Better resources: Owing to the fact that healthcare advocates come with a background that consists of a diverse set of experiences, they may also be the best resource to rely upon when seeking specialized medical support. Their vast network can be helpful here.
- Medication management: Similar to caregivers, healthcare advocates too take personal interest in the medications of seniors. They are in a good position to summarize the correct schedule for medications including the dosages, timings and more.
- Insurance management: Healthcare advocates are entrusted with the responsibility to determine the right doctor, hospital and/lor best insurance suitable for your loved ones. Advocates can often advise on the best insurance plan for a senior with the goal of improving coverage and/or reducing financial burden. Additionally, they can sometimes undertake the responsibility of filing claims.
A healthcare advocate can be a valued resource for seniors, particularly those that live away from their families or have no family at all. We must consider the importance of a health advocate, including looking for ways to make them an integral part of our lives
