Advocating for older adults and people with disabilities is one of our pillars at Area Agency on Aging.
We do this in a number of ways throughout the year on the federal, state and local levels to get more funding, raise awareness or pass legislation. But last week, I interviewed an older couple who reminded me how important it is to be an advocate for yourself and your loved ones on a daily basis.
When the wife was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 25 years ago, her husband knew he needed to start doing as much research as possible to prolong her life.
“I started asking questions at every doctor’s appointment. I read medical journals and keep up on the latest research,” he told me. “I knew she needed an advocate.”
That’s not to say he didn’t trust the doctors, but when a doctor said something that contradicted what he had read, he asked, “Why?”
His wife was experiencing high blood pressure, but was instructed to only take medication once it hit a certain level. She is now suffering other long-term health problems, due to having such prolonged bouts of high blood pressure.
“Getting that medication figured out required a lot of advocacy on my part,” he said. “Different doctors have different opinions on different things.”
He said ageism can play a part in it too. When she broke her arm last year, one doctor told them he wouldn’t set it because she’s old and sent her home in a sling.
“Now she has limited range of motion in that arm,” he said.
He admits, maybe that’s what all doctors would have done, and maybe the outcome was inevitable, but he regrets not taking the time to try to get a second opinion.
He said he wants other people to know they can speak up for themselves and be an advocate.
This can be applied to many transactions in our daily lives and not just in a health care setting.
Sometimes, we need to ask questions of car mechanics or the service professionals who have come to fix things in our homes. Sometimes, we’re in large meetings at work and need to advocate for our ideas. Sometimes, parents need to speak up for their children in tough situations at school or with friends.
There is a line between advocating and being argumentative and distrusting. But I think when you come to it from a place of honest curiosity, everyone involved feels better and maybe you both learn something new or have to think about something in a new way.
I became a journalist because I like telling stories, but I also did it because I like asking questions.
I’ve noticed myself using the phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know” a lot lately, usually to describe something I don’t have a lot of experience in or is just outside of my knowledge base. But even experts can be clueless as to what they don’t know.
We here at Area Agency on Aging consider ourselves specialists in aging and I often refer to my team members as experts, but there are things we don’t know.
We are human, and part of that is growing, learning and always pushing to be better for ourselves and our communities.
This week I was reminded by that couple that it can be tough to figure out everything you need to know in this life, but that’s why we’re curious, ask questions, take advantage of resources available to us and advocate for ourselves and others.
Please take advantage of the knowledge we have here at Area Agency on Aging when it comes to aging and disability. Give us a call at 800-654-2810. I can’t promise we have all the answers, but we’re a great place to start. Pick our brains for information, challenge us to learn about new things, be curious, and be an advocate.
Alexandra Newman is the communications and outreach coordinator for the Region IV Area Agency on Aging in Southwest Michigan. Interested in having an AAA representative speak to your group or organization? Email alexandranewman@areaagencyonaging.org. Questions on age or independence services? Call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-654-2810.
The Generations column appears each weekend in The Herald-Palladium.