Definition

Advocacy for Senior PharmAssist means “helping create change.” The vast majority of the time, this represents grassroots advocacy with older adults themselves, as well as healthcare and social service providers, in the Durham community. We occasionally work to spread important messages in the media; for example, in July 2007, we submitted a guest column to The News & Observer shedding light on the problems many individuals have encountered with Medicare Advantage plans and the general complexity of Medicare drug benefits. That piece included our support for the standardizing of Medicare drug plan options. We actively provide feedback to Medicare and the Social Security Administration about how their programs are affecting older adults, and in the last several years have become more involved at the state and national levels to create policy advancements to benefit older adults - particularly those with limited incomes.