Senior Care Advocate / Advisors

 An experienced senior care advisor can save you time and money. They help families narrow their focus to the right level of care and the communities or home care agencies that meet the senior's personal criteria. Another advantage of working with a senior care advisor is having access to insider knowledge of the senior care market.

A senior care advisor is someone who guides individuals and their families through the process of finding the best housing or care option based on their personal needs, and budget, when they're looking towards the next step.

Senior care advisors must be knowledgeable regarding the needs of seniors in the areas of health care, financial assistance and resources for day-to-day living.

It is not unusual for someone in the family to act as an advocate for an older family member. Often a parent, grandparent or other older loved one becomes too ill to manage things on his own. When a family member steps in and takes over the care of the senior, he is acting as the care advocate for his loved one.

The responsibility of acting as the care advisor for a senior family member is far greater than simply taking him to a doctor's appointment or picking up a filled prescription from the pharmacy. The role of the care advisor entails making sure that everything regarding the senior's medical care is taken care of correctly.

Some of the responsibilities of a Senior Care Advisor include:

• Everything regarding Medicare, Medicaid and supplemental secondary insurance coverage, limitations and benefits

• Visits to doctors, tests and procedures

• Making sure prescriptions are taken correctly

• Making sure that all information is correct if a hospital visit occurs

• Making sure that an Advanced Health Care Directive, sometimes called a Power of Attorney, and a Living Will, is in place

For the family member that takes on the responsibility of acting as the loved one's care advocate, the job can be exhausting, especially if he is caught in the sandwich generation. The term sandwich generation refers to people who find themselves in the middle of working, having children of their own at home or in college and caring for an aging ill parent or relative all at the same time.

 If the responsibility of caregiver or advocate becomes overwhelming, sharing the responsibilities with another family member or engaging the services of a professional care advocate for seniors is often the best solution for everyone. It is also generally the best solution when close family members do not live near the senior who needs assistance.