What Our Advocates Do

Our Advocates help seniors and their families understand concerns, identify options, and take appropriate next steps.

Depending on the situation, an Advocate may:

• Listen to the senior's concerns.

• Ask questions to better understand what is happening.

• Identify gaps in care, protection, support, or services.

• Help gather information.

• Communicate concerns with appropriate people or organizations.

• Help find community services and resources.

• Document concerns when appropriate.

• Help report suspected mistreatment.

• Follow up after action has been taken.

• Continue checking on unresolved concerns.

Our role is to advocate for the senior—not take over the senior's life.

What Our Advocates Do Not Do

Our Advocates do not replace doctors, nurses, attorneys, financial professionals, law enforcement, emergency responders, or other licensed professionals.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, our Advocates do not:

• Diagnose medical conditions.

• Prescribe or administer medication.

• Provide medical treatment.

• Give legal advice or act as an attorney.

• Provide financial or investment advice.

• Make personal decisions for a capable senior.

• Guarantee what another person or organization will do.

• Guarantee the outcome of a complaint or dispute.

• Provide emergency medical or law-enforcement services.

When a concern requires professional help outside our role, we may help the senior identify the appropriate person, provider, agency, or resource.

Health & Medical Information

Advocacy sometimes requires understanding a senior's health, medical care, medications, treatment, hospital stay, rehabilitation, home care, or other health-related needs.

A Senior Member or authorized representative may choose to provide health or medical information when it is helpful to the advocacy matter.

When properly authorized, an Advocate may also help the senior:

• Ask questions about care.

• Communicate concerns to healthcare providers.

• Understand information provided by the care team.

• Keep track of unresolved care concerns.

• Prepare for appointments or care meetings.

• Follow up when care, services, or communication appear to be missing or delayed.

Receiving health information does not make an Advocate a healthcare provider.

Advocates do not interpret medical information as doctors, make diagnoses, prescribe treatment, or tell a senior to begin, stop, or change medical treatment.

Health and medical information will be handled according to our Privacy Policy, applicable authorizations, and applicable law.

Reporting Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation

There are times when something shared with an Advocate cannot simply remain a private concern.

Florida law requires a person who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that a vulnerable adult has been or is being abused, neglected, or exploited to report that concern to the Florida Abuse Hotline.

A vulnerable adult can include an adult whose ability to perform normal daily activities or provide for their own care or protection is impaired because of disability, dysfunction, brain damage, or the infirmities of aging.

When circumstances require a report, Seniors in Distress may provide information reasonably necessary to make that report.

A member cannot require an Advocate to ignore or conceal a situation that must be reported by law.

Making a report does not mean that Seniors in Distress has determined that abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred. The appropriate agency determines whether the information meets its requirements and what investigation or response should follow.

When Safety Comes First

Our first concern is the senior's safety.

If an Advocate becomes aware of circumstances involving suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, serious mistreatment, or another significant safety concern, we may take appropriate steps consistent with our responsibilities and applicable law.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include contacting:

• The Florida Abuse Hotline.

• Adult Protective Services.

• Law enforcement.

• Emergency medical services.

• An appropriate healthcare provider.

• Another agency responsible for the senior's safety.

Whenever possible and appropriate, we want seniors and authorized family members to understand what is happening and why.

However, permission may not always be required before making a report required by law.

Emergencies

Seniors in Distress is not an emergency response service.

Members should not wait for an Advocate to respond when someone is experiencing a medical emergency or is in immediate danger.

For an immediate emergency, call 911.

For suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult in Florida, reports may be made to the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873 (1-800-96-ABUSE).

We Advocate—Others Make the Final Decision

Advocates can raise concerns, ask questions, request action, make reports, help gather information, and follow through.

We cannot control the final decisions of doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, insurers, government agencies, courts, law enforcement, service providers, or other third parties.

Our involvement does not guarantee that another person or organization will agree with us or take the action requested.

The Senior Still Has a Voice

Receiving advocacy services does not take away a senior's right to participate in decisions about their own life.

When a Senior Member has the legal ability to make their own decisions, the senior's wishes remain central to our advocacy.

Family Members and Caregiver Members may share concerns and participate when authorized, but their involvement does not automatically give them authority to make decisions for the senior.

Our Commitment

Our role is simple:

We provide information. We offer guidance. We give support. We advocate. We follow through.

We will speak up when something needs attention, help connect the senior with the right people when a matter is outside our role, and remain clear about what we can—and cannot—do.

For more information about how personal and health-related information is handled, please review our Privacy Policy.