Finding Consumer Advisors
Older people, whether or not they have experience with a particular care facility, can share insights about their perspectives, needs, and priorities. Those with experience in a particular facility can speak to the specifics of their care there and can broaden the understanding of administrators, care providers, and design professionals. Advisory participation by family members, particularly family caregivers for the very old, frail, or cognitively challenged, is also essential.
Strategies for drawing a group of advisors from the ranks of seniors and their families vary with the facility and the community served. Some suggestions include the following:
- Ask primary care physicians and geriatricians for recommendations of patients and families who might be interested in serving as advisors.
- Ask nursing, social work, physical or occupational therapy, and pastoral care staff of the facility to suggest participants.
- Contact patient care managers or discharge coordinators.
- Ask any current consumer advisors to suggest others who might be willing to participate.
- Contact patients or families who have written thoughtful comments in response to survey questions or on feedback forms at discharge from an acute care facility.
- Include information about advisory roles in the facility’s consumer satisfaction survey materials, inviting self-nomination.
- Post notices in waiting areas of clinics or hospital emergency rooms, or on a bulletin board at a residential facility.
- Contact local peer support groups.
- Contact organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association, the National Family Caregivers Association, and others.
- Write an article or notice for the newsletter of a retirement community or graduated living facility mentioning the need for consumer advisors.
- Contact leaders of religious or community organizations that sponsor outreach programs for older people, such as Meals on Wheels.
- Contact the administrator of a nursing home or adult day care center for suggestions of family members or family caregivers who might be interested.
- Contact the leaders of cultural clubs, societies, and organizations.
- Post a notice in a resource center or library frequented by older patrons and their families.
- Ask the leader of any volunteer group that serves the facility.
Serving in this advisory capacity is a new role for many health care consumers, so it is important to offer support and mentoring. Likewise, collaborating with patients and other consumers and their families is new for many professionals. Providing education and support for the staff participating in collaborative endeavors with consumers is also essential.