Please note that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Patient Partners medical advocates are providing virtual support for senior clients.

For many older adults, going to the doctor can be difficult – especially when trying to remember the information the doctor imparts and understand complex medical terms or instructions. The JFCS Patient Partners program offers a remedy to this very dilemma. Patient Partners pairs trained volunteers with clients to accompany the patient to his or her doctor appointments. Volunteers are trained to record, relay, and share information about each visit with the patient and their family, if needed. Volunteer advocates also help decipher medical jargon and provide emotional support to the patient.

Since the program’s inception, clients who have used Patient Partners report better outcomes from their appointments, with an increased commitment to treatment plans and medication regimens and better understanding of their health concerns. Patient Partners was initially conceived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and JFCS is one of the first agencies in the area to launch it in the Northeast. Patient Partners is now accepting and training new volunteer advocates. Training covers common health issues, medical terminology, honing listening and communication skills with medical personnel, confidentiality, and ethics.

Patient Partners is sponsored by the Raymond & Gertrude R. Saltzman Foundation
and Area VII Physicians Review Organization, Inc. / HQSI.