Making Sure Your Parents Are In Good Hands
Every day, there are thousands of people who struggle to help their aging parents navigate the complicated nuances of the healthcare system. When a loved one is having health problems, understanding and communicating their medical history, finding specialists, or arguing with an insurance company are the last things that anyone wants to worry about.
A recent article from the San Diego Union Tribune titled, The cost of caring for mom and dad, discussed the wide reaching impact of this issue. The stories of young adults who have had to sacrifice their jobs and livelihood to make sure that their parents are being taken care of are touching, and also an unfortunate reflection of the complicated healthcare system.
In the article, a report is mentioned from the San Diego Health and Human Services Agency titled, “The Economic Burden of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementia,” stating that in 2012 there were about 137,000 San Diegans providing care for the county’s 60,000 residents with dementia, on average 21.9 hours per week, for a total economic value of $1.94 billion.
Each of those numbers is staggering in its own right, and all together they illustrate the enormous burden imposed by Dementia, and other health issues surely account for a similarly significant toll on time and money. The challenges of understanding and coordinating health care and proper insurance billing are daunting, especially at a time when spending time with your loved ones should be of paramount importance.
How a Patient Advocate Can Help
A Patient Advocate can help coordinate all of the healthcare provider and insurance details for someone with Alzheimer’s and other Dementias, Mental Health issues, Cancer, and other health challenges, and help families to focus on spending time with their loved ones instead of having to figure out the confusing details.
Considering the massive amount of time that so many are devoting to coordinate the health care needs of their loved ones, it seems clear that many would benefit from having a knowledgeable and compassionate advocate in their corner to coordinate care, assist with medical billing, and accompaniment to appointments.
If you’d like to learn more about how a Patient Advocate could help someone you care for, contact us today.