Merriam-Webster says that an advocate is someone who supports a cause. In the case of caring for a senior, what does that mean? It means coordinating the medical, legal and financial issues that come with the changes in health and life.
Healthcare advocacy is a new concept, and there are many people who call themselves advocates, but few who intimately understand the pathology of disease, the language of healthcare and have relationships with legal and financial resources. As we age, the loss of healthcare related ability is the cause for assistance. Clinical skills are ESSENTIAL for an advocate. This means that if the advocate is not at least a registered nurse with many years of varied experience, you are not getting what you are paying for.
The advocate must know the healthcare system, intimately understand disease processes, understand and speak the language of healthcare and be a tenacious collaborator. Someone who does not have this skillset is not able to provide the level of expertise and advocacy that the family and senior require.
The marginal advocate is like a place kicker in the football game. They come on when they are needed. The skills advocate is the quarterback. He/she is looking at the past, the present and the future and planning for all contingencies based on professional and life experience. The goal is prospective planning to prevent or at least mitigate a crisis.
The cost for the professional advocate is more than the marginal advocate. But it's worth every penny based on feedback from families. The professional advocate is someone that listens, communicates change and expectations clearly, plans for the future before it arrives and walks the path of change every step of the journey. The professional advocate is in your corner and allows the family to be a family again.
The professional advocate is NOT someone who has some experience in the long term care arena as an admission coordinator, such as a marketing resource or as a discharge planner. These kinds of resources can be of some use, but they do not have the skills set for complex assessment, intervention, and planning.
If you need some help, reach out! You do not have to do it all yourself, but reach out to someone who has the skills and knowledge that you need.