As people age, managing chronic conditions becomes an important aspect of their overall health and well-being. Diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and hypertension are among the illnesses that many seniors must manage on a daily basis. Navigating the complexities of the healthcare system can be stressful, but medical advocacy is an important tool for ensuring they receive the care, medication, and therapies they require to improve their quality of life.
Understanding Medical Advocacy
Medical advocacy helps ensure seniors receive the best possible care. This could include campaigning for correct diagnosis, appropriate treatments, inexpensive medications, and open communication between them and their healthcare team. Advocacy can be provided by family members, professional patient advocates, social workers, or even seniors themselves when provided with the support and tools to do so.
Advocacy in Managing Chronic Conditions
There are many ways in which medical advocacy helps to enhance care, including the following:
Ensure Proper Diagnosis and Treatment: Many chronic conditions have overlapping symptoms, which might result in misdiagnosis or delayed treatment. Advocates assist seniors with medical consultations, ensuring that they ask the proper questions and seek second opinions as needed. By being proactive, medical advocates help to achieve timely diagnosis and prevent illnesses from worsening due to neglect or misinformation.
Coordination of Care Across Multiple Providers: Seniors with chronic conditions frequently see many specialists, such as cardiologists, endocrinologists, and physical therapists. Keeping track of appointments, medication schedules, and treatment plans can be difficult. Medical advocates assist in coordinating care, guaranteeing that all healthcare providers are on the same page. This lowers the likelihood of issues, including medication interactions and contradicting treatment recommendations.
Better Communication with Healthcare Providers: Seniors may struggle with medical terminology and complex treatment programs. Advocates help them communicate with their medical team more effectively by explaining the terminology they don’t understand, encouraging them to ask the important questions, and ensuring they understand their treatment options. This improves adherence to treatment protocols, resulting in fewer hospitalizations and problems.
Assisting With Medication Management: Many seniors take medications on a regular basis, especially those diagnosed with chronic conditions. Unfortunately, this increases their risk of prescription errors. Medical advocacy helps reduce this risk by reviewing medicines with seniors in order to understand possible side effects or interactions that could occur. They can also help seniors set reminders regarding when medication should be taken, and encourage seniors to consult with their medical team or pharmacist about cost-effective options. This is key, as proper medication management improves health outcomes and increases seniors’ independence.
Encouraging Lifestyle Changes to Improve Health: Chronic diseases frequently require changes in lifestyle, such as ensuring seniors eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and practice relaxation techniques to reduce stress. Advocates can help seniors by linking them with nutritionists, fitness programs, and mental health services. Encouraging these healthy practices improves disease management and overall quality of life.
Medical advocacy is an effective technique for helping seniors manage chronic conditions. Seniors who prioritize advocacy can take control of their health and have a higher quality of life despite the challenges of these conditions.
Sources:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-a-health-care-advocate#:~:text=A%20patient%20can%20discuss%20new,making%20all%20the%20decisions%20alone.
https://www.avmc.org/blog/2023/april/managing-chronic-conditions-strategies-for-livin/
https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/healthcare-advocacy/
If you or an aging loved one could benefit from medical advocacy in Boulder City, NV, please contact the caring staff at Golden Years today. Call (702) 931-0055.
Golden Years is Las Vegas’ premier senior concierge service. Golden Years offers numerous services including transition assistance, medical advocacy, crisis support, financial oversight and home services near Las Vegas, Lake Las Vegas, Red Rock Country Club, The Ridges, Las Vegas Country Club, Spanish Trails, Summerlin, Sun City Summerlin, Summerlin South, Sunrise Manor, Centennial Hills, Whitney, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, Enterprise, Spring Valley, Rhodes Ranch, Southern Highlands, Henderson, Sun City MacDonald Ranch, Sun City Anthem, Green Valley, Anthem, Anthem Country Club, and Seven Hills.
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