eldercare
Meet Karen Green-Heyward
Some of the hardest moments in health care are not medical. They are the moments when you sit in a room, hear a lot of words, and have no idea what to do next. Karen Green-Heyward works in those moments. She is a Strategic Advocacy Consultant and Patient Advocate with Umbra Health Advocacy. She helps…
Read MoreMeet Patient Advocate: Laura Finnelly, RN, BCPA, CSCM
Laura Finnelly is a Registered Nurse (RN), Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA), and Certified Senior Care Manager(CSCM) with more than 30 years of healthcare experience. As an Umbra advocate, she helps older adults, veterans, caregivers, and families navigate Medicare, complex medical situations, and care transitions with clarity and confidence. An Air Force veteran herself, Laura…
Read MoreCase Study: How a patient advocate helped caregivers convince their mom she needed support
If you have an aging parent, you may have a hard time motivating them to do the things that will keep them well. You wonder, “How can I convince mom she needs support?” Their doctor tells them to do physical therapy. They go once and quit. You notice they have no food in the fridge…
Read MoreDental 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 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 MoreCase Study: A Safe Rehab Discharge After Falls
Getting mom home safely after rehab discharge Often when loved ones are in rehab, a family will get a call out of the blue ‘She’s being discharged tomorrow.’ No warning. No instructions. They wonder, what do I need do to prepare for a rehab discharge? That is when the panic sets in. Who will care…
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.…
Read MoreSenior Loneliness Is a Health Crisis
This Mental Health Awareness Month, Let’s Treat It Like One. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a good time to talk about something many older adults are quietly struggling with: senior loneliness. Loneliness might sound like just a feeling. It’s actually a serious health risk for seniors. It can hurt the brain, the heart,…
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