Personal Senior Advocates

Code of Conduct

Personal Senior Advocates is a member of the Alliance of Professional Health Advocacy (APHA) and we subscribe to the APHA Code of Conduct. Founded in 2009, the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates with 650+ members, is the largest and most extensive professional and support organization for private, independent patient advocates.

READ APHA Code of Conduct

Patient Advocate Certification

Although Professional Advocacy does not yet benefit from a nationally or internationally recognized certification, a nationally recognized exam is due at the end of 2017.We are proud to share that Personal Senior Advocates founder, Sandy Thigpen is one of only 18 Advocates chosen by the Patient Advocacy Certification Board (PACB) to be on the Test Writing Task Force for the BCPA Exam. (BCPA – Board Certified Patient Advocate) This has been monumental nearly 4-year project. The goal of the Patient Advocacy Certification Board (PACB) is… “to develop standards and practices that reflect the broad knowledge and insight of our diverse professional community, not just the perspective of any single individual or organization.” It will be the first nationally recognized Patient Advocate Certification / Credential.

Without an Health Care Directive, if you are unable to speak for yourself, the medical facility will make ALL treatment decisions for you.

Why would anyone need to leave a nursing home to go to a doctor’s appointment?

28% of hospitalizations of Seniors are caused by medication errors.

When an elderly person has urinary tract infection, it is common for them to have “dementia like” symptoms.

Premature discharges lead to 40% of post-op complications occurring at home.

Seniors can be stuck with large medical bills when the hospital doesn’t Admit them. Admission vs. Observation?

The ratio of patient to staff in a medical facility is not regulated.

Bet you didn’t know that having great insurance can actually be dangerous.

Privately paid caregivers that provide care in your home are not legally allowed to assist you with your medications.

Drug resistant infections acquired during a hospital stay have increased 230% since 2001.

Legally a facility doctor in a Nursing Home only has to see a patient once every 30 days unless the nurse notes in your chart that an issue requires the doctor’s attention.

A new patient has their belongings logged by the staff. The same staff reconciles the list. See The Potential Problem?

Why do they take photos of your body when you’re admitted to a nursing home/rehab facility?

When Seniors are discharged from a hospital, they are told they are going to “Rehab”. No one tells them that this really means they are going to a Nursing Home.