A health advocate is a support person you choose to assist you with health care visits, asking questions, getting information, and accessing services.
Tips & Links
A health advocate is part of your care partners’ network. They can be a family member, friend, neighbour, co-worker, or a hired professional who provides comfort and specific tasks to support your understanding and participation in your health care decisions.
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- Know that a health advocate is not recognized as having an official role in the health care system but can be invaluable in providing support.
- Understand that a health care advocate may help you to navigate the health care system, communicate with health care providers. understand your rights as a patient, assist you understanding your treatment options, and supports you in the decision-making processes.
- Choose ways you want your health advocate to help: for example, they may drive and accompany you to physician and health care appointments, help you to complete your health profile and keep it up to date, visit you at home, remind you to take your medications, help with meal support, and/or do safety checks in your home.
- Share the name and responsibilities of your health advocate with your family and other care partners. Some people have more than one health advocate.
- Introduce your care advocate to your health care providers and be clear about their role in supporting your health care visits.
- Ensure your health advocate respects your privacy and confidentiality and personal boundaries.
- Review the health care visit checklist created by Healthlink BC with your health advocate – plan and prepare for the visit ahead of time.
- Your health advocate may also be one of your emergency contacts and/or your temporary substitute decision-maker (TSDM) or your substitute decision-maker (SDM).
Add your Health Advocate to your Care Partners PDF tool found in My People including their contact information. Save to your digital and print Mywell Health files.