For many, going to the doctor can be difficult. Especially when trying to remember or understand all the information the doctor imparts – in complex medical terms – and being able to follow those instructions. JFCS offers a remedy to this very dilemma: the Patient Partners Program, funded by the Raymond & Gertrude R. Saltzman Foundation, Community Foundation of South Jersey Aging Innovation Fund, Area VII Physicians Review Organization, Inc./HQSI, and Prime Homecare.
The Patient Partners program will pair trained volunteers with clients to accompany the patient to his or her doctor appointments. The volunteer will be trained to record, relay, and share the information of the visits with the patient and the patient’s family, if needed. The advocate will help decipher the medical jargon, and act as a support person to the patient.