Patient advocacy Discussion*

I have chosen to write about patient advocacy. The first reason is because of what I experienced while doing my CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) clinicals at a Long Term Nursing facility. The second, and main reason, is because I recently lost my mom to cancer and due to the severity and aggressive nature, she spent her last few weeks in a similar facility. I am haunted by what I saw and experienced. It is an arena of nursing care that I would strongly consider specializing in. In the first instance, I saw many patients with no family or friends to care for or visit with them. In my mom's case, we have a large family and someone was by her side the entire time. I was her advocate and it was an unfortunate necessity. All I wanted was for her to have dignity in the end; I am certain, had my family not intervened on her behalf, she would not have been able to die with dignity. This concerns and alarms me for all the patients I have met that have no one to advocate for their needs.
I actually located three excellent sources, but since my focus is on nursing, I will touch on the role of a Nurse Advocate. They are the liaison between patients and their physicians. They guide you through the health care maze by ensuring your understanding of your disease and diagnosis and aid in decision making. They focus on concerns about your quality of care and stand up for patients rights.
All nurses are patient advocates, but having that be your focus and building close relationships with smaller patient bases, eases my anxiety about  people with no one to be their voice.