Be a Good Advocate

Serving Seniors Blog: November, 2010

Healthcare in America is getting a lot of attention in today’s media. It’s a hot topic, filled with an overwhelming amount of information, which has resulted in people being thoroughly confused. When it comes to healthcare, when all of the facts, figures and opinions are tallied, did you know what really matters to consumers? It’s surprisingly simple. People simply want to feel good, they only want to pay appropriate costs, get help with resources available to them, understand what options they have, and to be able to trust a health care advisor.

That’s information that we can all relate to which is why, when your loved ones age in life, they need someone to help them, someone they can trust. Whether the aging loved one is your mom, dad, husband, wife, or grandparents, there comes a time when they need help navigating the healthcare that they need. In the world of healthcare, that trusted advisor is called a Patient Advocate.

There’s a good chance that you’ll end up being an advocate for your loved ones. It’s important that you’re educated so you can be a good advocate, because they’re not going to be able to do that for themselves. If it sounds as overwhelming as healthcare, it’s not. The more you’re educated, the better an advocate you can be.

There are many aspects of being a good advocate and many areas where your loved ones will need help. It’s important that you’re able to make an assessment of your loved one’s needs to be able to coordinate the proper care. It might require you to explore options and the related costs as well as explore both medical and behavioral health needs. It will be important to able to prioritize the health management issues so that the coordination of care is done to your satisfaction and more importantly, to your loved one’s best interests.

This could also include interpreting medical information, which might include diagnosis and treatment information. Other very important areas are insurance requirements, co-pays, benefits, and all related topics involving costs.

It will be important to know medications that are being prescribed, diet needs, habits, and end-of life needs and desires. While some of these topics might be difficult to discuss, they all need to be addressed at one time or another. It’s proven that the more educated and informed you are, the more proactive you can be. Being there for your loved ones when they need your help the most is an important part of their care. Being a good advocate for them requires planning, education, and preparation. Do it for them, do it for you and your entire family.

Serving Seniors professionals are trained in all areas of elderly care to get people the proper care that they need. As you navigate these rough waters that you’ve never experienced before, have comfort in knowing that we are great patient advocates for you and your family. Simply put, we offer you peace of mind. We’re proud to say that Serving Seniors has been recognized as one of only 20 Fellow Certified Geriatric Care Managers in the USA as recognized by the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers.

I hope you find all of our posts helpful. Please feel free to share your own experiences and we welcome your comments below. We value your input and so do our readers.

Get educated and call us for a consultation on how we can help you and your loved ones. I appreciate your interest in Serving Seniors and our professional geriatric care management services.

Thanks,

Diane Hischke

Deep Brain Stimulation

What are the Facts?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure used to treat a variety of disabling neurological symptoms—most commonly the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), such as tremor, rigidity, stiffness, slowed movement, and walking problems.

Click on this link to read the entire article.

http://www.parkinson.org/Parkinson-s-Disease/Treatment/Surgical-Treatment-Options/Deep-Brain-Stimulation

Are there other conditions that can mimic PD?

Essential Tremor (ET) is fairly common amongst the elderly population, yet may begin at any age. ET is different from the PD tremor in that it affects both hands, often involves head tremor and a shaky quality to the patient’s voice.
For more information on the entire article, click on this link:

http://www.parkinson.org/Parkinson-s-Disease/Diagnosis/Are-there-other-conditions-that-can-mimic-PD-