Health Advocacy and Health Communication for Elderly Health Care Consumers: Rationale, Demand, and Policy Implications

Abstract

Health advocacy is an important set of communication activities to promote the best health outcomes for individuals confronting health threats, especially for elderly health care consumers, who utilize high levels of health care services for both chronic and acute health problems. However, many elderly health care consumers do not receive adequate advocacy support and have difficulty shaping health care policies and practices due to problems with ageism and power imbalances within health care systems, which accord far more authority to health care providers and administrators than to consumers in the delivery of care. This limits elders' participation and influence in health care, despite research showing that active consumer involvement usually improves health outcomes. Strategic health advocacy can rebalance power within health care, developing and refining health policies and practices. The best advocacy actively represents the voices, concerns, and needs of consumers within health care systems to help make programs responsive to consumer needs. Health advocates must effectively communicate patients' perspectives and needs to key audiences using strategic message strategies and channels to influence health policies and practices. Yet effective advocacy does not happen naturally and needs to be nurtured by relevant programs and policies to represent consumer needs for enhancing health outcomes for elderly health care consumers.

Addressing resistance to adopting relevant health promotion recommendations with strategic health communication

“…The need for effective strategic communication about health risks and benefits is particularly acute, yet also quite complex, for reaching the most vulnerable health care consumer populations, who are at great risk to suffer significantly higher levels of health-related morbidity and mortality than other segments of the general population [35]. These vulnerable groups, typically the poorest, lowest educated, and most disenfranchised members of modern society, are heir to serious disparities in health outcomes, resulting in alarming levels of morbidity and mortality, especially in comparison to the general population [35][36][37].…”

“…Vulnerable populations regularly encounter serious challenges to accessing and making sense of relevant health information, often abetted by health literacy difficulties that make it difficult for them to understand complex medical information, cultural barriers, and economic limitations that make it difficult to access and negotiate modern health care systems, as well as a host of challenging social determinants (such as reduced social status, lower education levels, environmental barriers, employment issues, and limited social support networks) that make it difficult to get the best care [31,[35][36][37]. Vulnerable consumers often are confused and misinformed about health risks, prevention and early detection strategies, as well as about optimal treatments, leading to serious errors, omissions, and resultant health problems [35].…”