Online Class: Advocacy for Elderly Patients

In this course, you'll learn what an advocate is, what one does, and why it's important to be an advocate for patient care today.

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$120.00 (with CEU Certificate)
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  • 11
    Lessons
  • 21
    Exams &
    Assignments
  • 2,688
    Students
    have taken this course
  • 6
    Hours
    average time
  • 0.6
    CEUs
 
 

Course Description

Welcome to advocacy for the elderly patient. With growing numbers of seniors in our aging population, families and extended family members are finding themselves in a position where they're providing for some or all of the care for their senior loved ones.

Understanding basic rights of patients and how such rights apply to the elderly will help you become an advocate for not only elderly patients, but for other family members and friends. In this course, you'll learn what an advocate is, what one does, and why it's important to be an advocate for patient care today.

You'll also learn not only how to be a well educated advocate, but to do your part to preserve the dignity of seniors, prevent elder abuse, and understand the basics of elderly patient care at home, in assisted living facilities and in nursing homes or other care scenarios. You'll learn the importance of nutrition and providing senior-friendly living spaces. You'll learn how to effectively evaluate nursing homes and understand the legal rights of seniors and how to protect them from scams.

As an educated advocate, you'll also learn how to identify and report red flags when it comes to senior care, including elderly abuse and more personal aspects of care, including hygiene. You'll also learn the importance of documents such as advance directives and powers of attorney in order to provide the best in secure, comforting and effective senior care that maintains their independence and dignity in all areas of their life.

Course Motivation

Understanding basic rights of patients and how such rights apply to the elderly will help you become an advocate for not only elderly patients, but for other family members and friends. 

In this course, you'll learn not only how to be a well educated advocate, but to do your part to preserve the dignity of seniors, prevent elder abuse, and understand the basics of elderly patient care at home, in assisted living facilities, and in nursing homes or other care scenarios. You'll learn the importance of nutrition and providing senior friendly living spaces. You'll learn how to effectively evaluate nursing homes and understand the legal rights of seniors and how to protect them from scams.

As an educated advocate, you'll also learn how to identify and report red flags when it comes to senior care, including elderly abuse and more personal aspects of care, including hygiene. You'll also learn the importance of documents such as advance directives and powers of attorney in order to provide the best in secure, comforting, and effective senior care that maintains their independence and dignity in all areas of their life.

Improving quality of life is just one of the benefits of being an advocate for the elderly.

What Is an Advocate?

At its most basic definition, an advocate is someone who sticks up for someone else. In the medical field, a patient advocate is one who makes sure that the legal and human rights of a patient are understood and upheld. Taking that a step further, a senior advocate is one who makes sure that the needs of seniors are being met in all aspects of their environment.

A patient advocate is often employed by hospitals or nursing homes to act as a bridge for communication between patients, families, and administration. Advocates are not only available for patients, but for their family and their legal representatives.

Basically, an advocate acts as a liaison between hospital staff, hospital systems, and patients and their families. Advocates help provide access to information and address concerns and communications of loved ones regarding senior care. Patient advocates may also be involved in:

  • Billing issues.

  • Patient rights.

  • Physician issues.

  • Issues related to treatment.

  • Scheduling issues.

  • Resolving difficulties, either of the patient or family members.

In caregiving facilities, a patient advocate may help you resolve difficulties, complaints, or other that you may have about your loved one's care or about services provided by the facility.

What Does an Advocate Do?   

A senior advocate makes sure that the dignity of seniors is preserved and the quality of life issues such as physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness are being addressed in their daily environment. An advocate for seniors will make sure that they have access to adequate nutrition as well as having social interaction and community activities and events.

The focus of an advocate is to provide support, assistance, and encouragement for both the senior and their family. Patient advocates are also available to help preserve the rights of patients who have no family or are unable or hesitant to speak up for themselves.

The patient advocate is always willing to discuss information regarding a hospital or a facility's procedures and policies as well as explaining their rights to patients. Advocates listen to complaints or concerns from the patient and strive to resolve them with staff and administration and to facilitate the best in quality patient-centered care.

Being an Educated Caregiver or Patient Advocate

While patient advocates are often highly trained and experienced professionals in the medical and health field, you may also be an advocate for the elderly patient. After all, you know when something doesn't feel right. If you're concerned about the care Mom or Grandma is receiving at a nursing home, it's your responsibility to mention it. In doing so, you've just become an advocate for the elderly patient as well as other patients within the facility.

Empowering patients, as well as their loved ones, to help take responsibility over their medical care and increase and enhance partnerships with doctors, nurses, and other medical staff will help ensure the best in quality care for seniors. In order to become an educated caregiver, you need to become a knowledgeable and educated consumer.

This doesn't mean that you have to spend hours in school or receive a social sciences degree, but that you need to be aware of basic medical care principles. For example:

  • Do you think Mom is rushed through her doctor's appointments?

  • Are you concerned that Dad has too many prescriptions?

  • Have you noticed that Grandma's skin rash hasn't improved in weeks?

  • Are you worried that Dad's doctor has made a mistake in his care?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are already behaving like an advocate for your loved one. An advocate is:

  • Caring and compassionate.

  • Able to communicate.

  • Organized.

  • Able to solve a variety of problems.

  • Able to get along well with a variety of individuals, including patients, other family members, medical staff, and support personnel.

The patient advocate may also help seniors and their family members navigate healthcare insurance problems and patient services. The professional patient advocate may also get involved in mediation, arbitration, and negotiation on behalf of patients when it comes to a financial crisis, maintaining and keeping their jobs, or facilitating access of care in a variety of scenarios.

As an elderly patient advocate, you also need to understand rules and regulations in regard to patient care, know when to speak up and make your voice heard. Throughout this course, we will offer a variety of resources and standards of care that are expected in home-based care, assisted living facilities, and nursing home  scenarios in regard to caring for the elderly.

Conclusion

Whether you're interested in becoming a professional elderly or geriatric advocate or you merely want to make sure that your parent or grandparent or other family member is well cared for as they age, educate yourself on their medical condition and maintain an open line of communications with their healthcare providers.

Whenever possible, discuss diagnoses, prognosis, and treatment plans with the senior and their care providers to better understand the caregiving process. Being an advocate doesn't mean behaving like a banshee and making unreasonable demands when it comes to care, but you do want to expect, and demand, quality and compassionate care for the elderly.

This course will also focus on one of the most important aspects of caring for the elderly, and that is the preservation of their dignity. You can't become a good advocate for the elderly if you don't understand the basic Patient's Bill of Rights. These are rights that belong to, and describe every patient, from children to seniors, regardless of where that care is being offered.

  • Completely Online
  • Self-Paced
  • Printable Lessons
  • Full HD Video  
  • 6 Months to Complete
  • 24/7 Availability
  • Start Anytime
  • PC & Mac Compatible
  • Android & iOS Friendly
  • Accredited CEUs
Universal Class is an IACET Accredited Provider
 

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:
4.7 / 5 Stars (Average Rating)
"Extraordinarily Helpful"
(2,111 votes)

Lesson 1. What Is an Advocate?

In this lesson, you'll learn what an advocate is, what one does, and why it's important to be an advocate for patient care today. 13 Total Points
  • Lesson 1 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Senior Advocate; Reasons for Taking this Course
  • Complete Assignment: An Introduction
  • Complete: Lesson 1 Assignment
  • Assessment: Lesson 1 Exam

Lesson 2. Preservation of Dignity

Taking care of the elderly means ensuring they have the comfort and security that every human being needs. Additional lesson topics: Dignity and Autonomy for Elderly 12 Total Points
  • Lesson 2 Video
  • Complete: Lesson 2 Assignment
  • Assessment: Lesson 2 Exam

Lesson 3. Preventing Elder Abuse

Understanding the different types of elder abuse may help you become more adept at recognizing it, doing something about it, or preventing it. Additional lesson topics: How to Prevent Elderly Abuse and Neglect 11 Total Points
  • Lesson 3 Video
  • Complete: Lesson 3 Assignment
  • Assessment: Lesson 3 Exam

Lesson 4. Quality of Life Issues

This lesson will introduce quality of life issues that should be at the top of the list for any senior advocate. Additional lesson topics: Quality of Life in the Elderly 11 Total Points
  • Lesson 4 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Quality of Life
  • Complete: Lesson 4 Assignment
  • Assessment: Lesson 4 Exam

Lesson 5. Providing Safe Environments

In this lesson, we'll cover the basics of how you can provide a safe environment for a loved one in a number of scenarios and what it means to provide a safe living environment for the elderly. Additional lesson topics: Home Safety 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 5 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 5 Exam

Lesson 6. Patient Care Advocacy in Home-based Settings

For you to be an informed and effective elder care advocate, it's important to be aware of the most important aspects of senior health and wellness, prevention of harm, and resources available in order to provide the best patient care possible. Additional lesson topics: Becoming a Patient Advocate; Elder Care 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 6 Video
  • Complete: Lesson 6 Assignment
  • Assessment: Lesson 6 Exam

Lesson 7: Advocacy for Elders in Nursing Homes

Expectations of care can be defined as what a senior family member expects in a nursing home, an assisted living facility, or through services obtained by a home health care agency. Additional lesson topics: Nursing Homes Abuse Advocate 9 Total Points
  • Lesson 7 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson 7 Exam

Lesson 8. Nursing Home Resident's Rights

This lesson will focus on specific rights of residents, or at least the rights that should be observed and followed by not only seniors, but also their families, physicians, and most importantly, advocates. Additional lesson topics: Residents' Rights: NORC; Rights of the Elderly; Helpguide 10 Total Points
  • Lesson 8 Video
  • Complete: Lesson 8 Assignment
  • Assessment: Lesson 8 Exam

Lesson 9. Legal Rights

One of the most important jobs you'll have is in elderly patient advocate, whether you're a professional, or a volunteer, or layperson, is to protect the legal rights of seniors. Additional lesson topics: Advance Medical Directives; Health Affairs 7 Total Points
  • Lesson 9 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Scams and Frauds
  • Assessment: Lesson 9 Exam

Lesson 10. Red Flags

To receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement, nursing homes must undergo yearly inspections by state accrediting organizations which follow state and Federal standards and guidelines regarding quality care. 12 Total Points
  • Lesson 10 Video
  • Complete: Lesson 10 Assignment
  • Assessment: Lesson 10 Exam

Lesson 11. Death and Dying

As an elderly patient advocate, you need to know the types of documents and situations that may be involved in the death and dying process of patients. Additional lesson topics: Power of Attorney 61 Total Points
  • Lesson 11 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Let us know what you think of this course; Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course); Course Comments
  • Complete: Lesson 11 Assignment
  • Assessment: Lesson 11 Exam
  • Assessment: The Final Exam
166
Total Course Points
 

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  • Describe a advocate for the elderly is and what the job entails.
  • Summarize how to maintain and preserve the dignity of the elderly.
  • Describe methods for recognizing and preventing elder abuse.
  • Describe quality of life issues.
  • Identify methods and techniques for providing safe environments.
  • Summarize patient care advocacy in home-based settings and nursing homes.
  • Identify nursing home resident's rights and elderly legal rights.
  • Identify red flags when determining proper elder care.
  • Summarize the processes of death and dying, what to expect, and how to cope and support.
  • Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
 

Additional Course Information

Online CEU Certificate
  • Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
  • Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
  • Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
  • View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
  • Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media
Document Your CEUs on Your Resume
 
Course Title: Advocacy for Elderly Patients
Course Number: 8900161
Lessons Rating: 4.7 / 5 Stars (2,111 votes)
Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries
Availability: This course is online and available in all 50 states including: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.
Last Updated: October 2023
Course Type: Self-Paced, Online Class
CEU Value: 0.6 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.
Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams
Syllabus: View Syllabus
Course Fee: $120.00 U.S. dollars

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Student Testimonials

  • "This course is very helpful. It helped me to understand the different roles everyone play in the well being of seniors in a nursing facility." -- Keyonna M.
  • "I am very pleased that I was able to attend this course. It has inspired me to possibly further my education in this field." -- Patricia H.
  • "Universal Class is a great asset whether you are learning to retain certification, or for personal advancement." -- Julianna S.
  • "The class as a whole was enjoyable and the information was well presented. I like working at my own pace. My instructor was very prompt with returning feedback and grades. She was also available with quick response to e mails, a very positive experience. Thank You." -- Kathy W.
  • "Amazing, concise, and easy to understand course. I highly recommend it." -- Gregory H.
  • "I think that she has done a wonderful job, putting these lesson topics together for this course!" -- Felica C.
  • "I find Universal classes wonderful. I would take a new class every day if possible." -- Pauline M.
  • "Very good course and professional instructor enjoyed the class." -- Sharon C.
  • "I liked the course and I learned a lot from the course." -- Nikki H.
  • "The instructor was excellent." -- Mary V.
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