Posts by Jennifer Kean
Dental Advocate: Shelbey Arevalo, BCPA
Shelbey Arevalo is a Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) with more than 16 years of experience in the dental and healthcare industry. As an Umbra advocate, she supports clients and families who feel overwhelmed, confused, or unsure about their dental care, insurance, or treatment options. Shelbey is one of the few advocates in the country…
Read MoreQuestions to Ask a Long Term Care Facility
What Questions Should You Ask a Long-Term Care Facility? Choosing an assisted living community, nursing home, or memory care facility is one of the most important decisions a family will make. The brochures all look beautiful. The tours all highlight the best features. But how do you really know if a place will provide good…
Read MoreInsurance Said No. An Umbra Advocate Overturned It.
An insurance claim denial cut off care a young man had relied on for 18 years. His family had already appealed and lost. Then they came to Umbra. A lifetime of care, ended overnight For most of his life, a young man with a complex genetic disorder relied on in home nursing care to stay…
Read MoreMeet Kim Cornish, LPN
Kim Cornish, LPN, is a licensed practical nurse and patient advocate with Umbra Health Advocacy. Over 18 years, she has worked across clinical, telehealth, and community health settings, including case management, chronic care coordination, behavioral health, and quality assurance. That breadth gives Kim a clear view of how the healthcare system works, and how to…
Read MoreWhen is it time for Memory Care?
Few decisions weigh on families more than recognizing when a loved one with dementia needs more care than home can provide. That often means moving to memory care. We talked with Lori Maloney, a long-term care expert and Umbra Health Advocate, about how families can recognize when memory care is needed and what to expect…
Read MoreMeet Patient Advocate, Caro Ruiz
Caro Ruiz is a patient advocate with Umbra Health Advocacy who specializes in health insurance. Over more than 20 years inside the health insurance industry, she held leadership roles at some of the largest health plans in Massachusetts, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Tufts Health Plan, and Point32Health. Today, she uses that insider…
Read MoreNursing Home Red Flags: How to Tell if Your Loved One is Getting Good Care
When someone you love lives in a nursing home or long-term care facility, you cannot be there every hour of every day. That is one of the hardest parts of being a family caregiver. Here is the good news. Care leaves clues. This article explores the top nursing home red flags. We asked three patient…
Read MoreMeet Dr. Mari Pantoja-Smith, DHSc, RN, CGNC
Dr. Mari Pantoja-Smith is a doctorate-prepared registered nurse and patient advocate with Umbra Health Advocacy. Over more than 15 years, she has supported individuals and families navigating complex medical conditions, and her background spans clinical care, digital health strategy, and care coordination. As a result, she brings both clinical depth and a systems-level view to…
Read MoreWhat do Assisted Living Costs Include?
Understanding Base Rates, Levels of Care, and Hidden Costs When families start looking at assisted living for a loved one, the monthly price tag can seem manageable. But many discover that the number on the brochure is just the starting point. The services they assumed were included often cost extra. We talked with Lori Maloney,…
Read MorePatient Advocate Profile: Meet Yvette Lyles
Yvette Lyles is a patient advocate and senior care consultant with Umbra Health Advocacy. She brings a blended background in healthcare advocacy and a deep dedication to supporting older adults, their caregivers, and families. Yvette Lyles’s story “My work is rooted in personal experience. I became an advocate long before I made it my profession.…
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