Senior Advocates of
Brevard County, Florida

• Are you worried about the needs of your elderly parents?
• Are you having difficulty balancing your own work and family life while managing the needs and demands of your aging loved one?
• Are you needing to decide the best elder care service for your elderly parent?
• Are home health care services, a home companion or home nurse, an assisted living facility, nursing home, or other long-term residential care being considered for your parent or spouse?

In today’s busy, fast paced world,families must spend a great deal of time and energy just to create a comfortable way of life.  Increasingly, families now have to worry about the needs of their parents. 

Senior Advocates of Brevard is dedicated to helping seniors stay in their own homes as long as possible by assisting them to cope with those elements of daily living they can no longer do or want to do for themselves. 

With an initial assessment and on-going care management services, Senior Advocates of Brevard can expertly guide your aging loved one(s) through the maze of:

• Health and medical concerns,
• Insurance filing & bill paying paperwork,
• Elder care and long-term planning,
• Financial guidance and Medicaid assistance,
• Housing options including home health care, assisted living, and nursing home placement and supervision.
• Property management & estate liquidation and home sale.

Senior Advocates of Brevard provide professional geriatric care management services and will help you find the alternatives available to extend your seniors ability to live independently.

Senior Advocates of Brevard is a resource for the client and family 24 hours a day/7 days a week as needed.  Our case managers use their diverse background and knowledge of local resources to facilitate a solution for everything from doctors to repair technicians.

In every instance, our first concern is for the client.  We show this concern with warmth, caring and respect for the client’s dignity while we work to enrich their life.

Elder Care Assessment & Care Plan

Home Evaluation

By evaluating the elderly adult in their present environment, we can best determine their functional abilities, medical condition, mental status, family involvement, and financial resources. We meet with the senior citizen three times over a 7 day period and utilize a social services/nurse team approach to assure that all of their physical, mental, emotional, and environmental needs are addressed.

This assessment includes the following:

Pre-conference phone interview to share information about our company, review client and family goals and get preliminary details of the client's needs.

Assessing the elderly adult's interests and social support network, amount and type of support needed for current care, transportation issues, environmental issues, ability to relate to others, family dynamics, etc.

Collect medical data including current medical history, past medical history, medications, care received to date, results of recent lab work or diagnostic tests, etc.

Evaluate the mental and emotional status including, the individual's memory, ability to make appropriate decisions, and care for himself/herself on a daily basis.

Assess cognitive brain function of Alzheimer's and other dementia patients.  

Assess the physical capabilities, including mobility and ability to function in the home.

Determine if the elderly person is able to manage his or her finances, to what degree and  if assistance would be helpful.

An analysis of living arrangements including the maintenance condition of house, condo or apartment and possible safety hazards or improvements that can be made as a precaution.

A review of the client's current advanced directives and make recommendations if needed.
 
Referrals to needed Elder Law Attorneys and medical professionals for complex cases.

Recommendations / Care Plans are established to meet client needs and a written summary of findings and recommendations from the assessment are sent to the senior citizen and their family within a week of the assessment completion.

Bill Paying & Insurance Filing

Senior Advocates of Brevard can assist clients in budgeting and bill paying, including situations involving “spending down” to obtain Medicaid eligibility.

We provide a variety of bill paying and paperwork services:

• We can prepare checks for client signature, reconcile checking accounts, and prepare and make bank deposits.

• Senior Advoates will review medical insurance papers and verify the proper processing of claims.

• We will organize documents and negotiate with creditors.

• In addition, we can become conservator, trustee or agent under a power of attorney when no realistic options are available.

Case Management Services

After we have worked with you to assess and develop the best possible care plan to meet the specific needs of the elder adult, we are there to assure that the care plan is put into place.

Senior Advocates of Brevard continues to monitor the individual's health and well-being, and provide mediation organization and reminders when needed.

We will assist with routine services, including bill paying, transportation needs, coordination of medical care, and medical claims filing.

Many out-of-town families utilize our services on an on-going basis. We are able to take on some of the responsibilities that they would have if they were available, such as escorting the older person to medical appointments, monitoring their care and helping to handle daily money management.

Families are kept apprised of their loved ones’ on-going progress through emails and/or monthly telephone contact. Of course family members my call us with questions and concerns during our normal business hours.

We regularly reassess a client's situation to ensure his or her needs are understood and met.

Medicaid Assistance

Nursing home care can costs over $60,000 a year and older Americans are now living an average well into their eighties.

This fact requires that middle income families must learn about Medicaid when someone they love may at some time require a nursing home placement.

Senior Advocates of Brevard will assist you in working towards qualifying for ICP Medicaid (nursing home Medicaid) or the Medicaid Waiver Program (for home or assisted living).

Senior Advocates will conduct a full financial analysis of the senior citizen’s assets with recommendations to assist the elderly client in “spending down” their assets over time on allowable expenses so that they are in a position to receive Medicaid with no penalty when the time comes.

Senior Advocates of Brevard will gather all necessary documentation, complete and submit all applications.