3 Ways To Transition from Caregiver to Advocate

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

caregiver talking to brookdale associate

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, an estimated 53 million people in the United States are acting as caregivers — approximately one out of every five Americans! That’s a massive number of people who are taking on a huge responsibility that they may not be prepared for or able to commit to long-term.

When your caregiver chooses to partner with a person like a paid caregiver or a resource like a senior community to make sure you are getting the care you deserve, it can be difficult for them to make the mental transition from “caregiver” to “advocate.” Fortunately, we’re here to help!

Making the Mental Shift

Caregiving is, in essence, directly providing for the physical needs of a loved one. In contrast, advocacy is more about helping the loved one understand the resources available to them and making sure they are getting the treatment they deserve. Think of it this way: it’s similar to the difference between doing a task and making sure the task gets done. The end goal, however, is the same. Caregivers want to know that their loved one is getting the best care possible.

So how do you encourage your caregiver to move from caregiving to advocacy in care partnership?

Tip 1: Hit the Books

First, time to hit the books! Or at least the Internet. There are a myriad of resources available for both you and your care partners, including AARP, the National Institute on Aging, the National Council on Aging (NCOA), your local area agency on aging and even our blog! Suggest these resources to your care partner and encourage them to take a little bit of time to review them or join an email list that could help your caregiver answer questions they already have — and even questions they didn’t know to ask!

Tip 2: Read the Fine Print

Next, have your caregiver dedicate some time to reviewing paperwork. It’s a sad fact that seniors are often targeted for scams. Your caregiver doesn't have to be a contract lawyer or a CPA to help you with balancing your checkbooks, reviewing medical bills and insurance claims or stepping in if one of you suspects a scam. With your permission, they can take time to help you stay on top of you account balances, review you transactions and any contracts for anything untoward, and take action on your behalf if anything suspicious crops up.

Tip 3: Be Action-Oriented

The next step is simple: invite your caregiver to be an active participant in your life! If you're at a senior community, ask your care partner to visit regularly so they can keep an eye on your overall care to help ensure that you're getting the best care possible. When your care partner is in a regular cadence of visits, they have the opportunity to get to know the other people involved in your care, and they can ask questions directly if something happens that either of you is concerned about.