Patient Advocate Profile
Learn More About this Valuable Professional
How I Can Help
I help geriatric patients and their families navigate through the health care system. With my thorough understanding of the aging process, I am able to help my clients and their families understand the aging process, medical problems and various treatment options, while being able to identify when the concerns are related to changes in mental health or are the anticipated effects of a disease process such as dementia. This helps my elderly clients to obtain an improved level of care and assists them in understanding level of care options. As a professor of nursing, I am able to communicate the medical and psychiatric sides of a disease process in terms that the client and their family can grasp. I advocate for my client in every stage of the health care system, always advocating for the wishes and desires of my client and their family. With training and experience in effective and assertive communication, I am able to assist families and clients in having their voice heard and respected throughout the aging process.
Formal Education
Grand Canyon University, DNP, Doctorate of Nursing Practice, 2017
Grand Canyon University, MSN Public Health Nursing, 2017
Why I Became a Professional Healthcare Advocate
Twenty-one years ago, I knew of a young woman who had 3 small children, was pregnant with her fourth and suffering from unrelenting migraines. I advocated for this woman who believed the headaches were not from pregnancy hormones. Finally, the doctors listened and tested for anything organic in the brain. They found an aneurysm in the brain and quickly performed a life-saving operation. Today, she is doing great.
More recently, an elderly man who was diagnosed with less than 4 weeks to live, was receiving an incredibly invasive treatment for the behavior symptoms of Alzheimers Disease. I advocated to the hospital board, the physicians, and family. We were able to withdrawal the invasive treatment and replace it with a small dose oral medication. The abnormal behaviors became virtually dormant and the man was able to live out his final days at home with his family.
Professional Organizations and Affiliations
CCRN (Critical Care Nursing) 1978-2009
Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse, American Nurse Credentialing Center
BLS CPR, American Heart Association
Crisis Prevention & De-escalation, Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)
International Review Board (IRB)
Collaborative Institutional Training (CITI)
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Operator, NeuroStar
Registered Nurse, Illinois Board of Nursing
Registered Nurse, Arizona Board of Nursing
Member, AONE, APNA, ANA
Copyrights
• Adapted Nursing Process: APIEME ©: A format for presenting nursing content in a understandable, user-friendly format which increases patient safety & nursing education.
Published Research
• Improving Patient Care Delivery and Outcomes for those Diagnosed with Mental Illness by Identifying the Attitudes and Beliefs of the Health Care Providers
Decreasing Suicide Rates for Discharged Veterans Living in Rural Areas
Contact Advocate
To contact this advocate call (248) 469-2222 or simply fill out the form below
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