According to the US Census Bureau by 2034, there will be more people 65 years and older (77 million) than there will be under the age of 18 (76.5 million). One quarter of baby boomers (born 1946-1964) did not have children and about one third of Americans aged 45 - 62 are currently single.

In the past, when an aging senior needed assistance with healthcare and caregiving matters, their adult child(ren) or other younger family members were available to help out. As the statistics above point out, in the case of the current senior populations, there are fewer adult children to provide assistance. For those who did not have children, ensuring support as they age requires an extra layer of intentional and thoughtful planning to make sure supports are in place when needed.

Ailene Gerhardt, MA, BCPA, is passionate about this issue and sees the need for enhanced support for solo agers. The SOLO AGERS Advocacy Initiative is designed to meet the growing needs and demands of this unique and important demographic.

Fill out the interest form below or contact us directly. Once we hear from you, we’ll set up an initial complimentary 15 minute phone consultation to assess if the SOLO AGERS Advocacy Initiative is the right fit for you. If it is, we’ll complete the necessary paperwork and set up our next meeting to get started.

Consultations to become acquainted with and compile your healthcare advocacy goals, priorities, needs and organize all your important documents into a cohesive plan. We’ll schedule check-in appointments throughout the year to share how things are going and to review the documents we have on file and make changes as needed.

Services:

• Including us as a point person in case of a medical emergency. If an emergency should occur, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your documents will be on file in a secure database and will be made available to only those you have authorized access. As a point person, we’ll help coordinate communication with those you’ve designated to be a part of your emergency, medical, and support teams.

• Helping you compile your healthcare advocacy goals, priorities, needs and organize all important documents into a cohesive document

• Assisting you in strategically enhancing your support system. We will work together to evaluate who is currently a part of your support system, where there are gaps, and identify what personal contacts and professionals might be useful to add to expand support.

Contact us to learn about the fee for the first year of membership and the cost for renewal.

A Solo Aging Guidance Plan might be a great fit!

As Independent Board Certified Patient Advocates, we offer a range of services which you can view here.

Additional patient advocacy services requested/provided beyond what is included in the SOLO AGERS Advocacy Initiative membership will be charged at our hourly rate. These patient advocacy services will be included in a separate service agreement provided by Beacon Patient Solutions LLC and signed by both the client and Beacon Patient Solutions LLC staff.

• We’re offering a facilitated online small group SOLO AGERS Discussion Group focused on what it means to age on one’s own. Learn more.

• We also moderate a SOLO AGERS Advocacy Initiative facebook group (available to any solo ager with a facebook account) to give Initiative members and other solo agers an opportunity to share experiences, concerns, resources, and ideas with each other.

• We often offer community education talks about the challenges and opportunities of solo aging. We’ll reach out you to let you know when solo aging talks, workshops and groups are being offered. We hope to offer webinars and podcasts in the future.

• We launched The Navigating Solo Network: The path to dynamic solo aging starts here!™ It’s a national network and online clearinghouse featuring resources specifically for Solo Agers! Learn more.