Foundations of Healthcare Navigation for Aging Parents

The healthcare system that worked for your parent at sixty often fails them at eighty. Specialists multiply, medications interact, transitions between settings introduce errors, and Medicare adds rules that confuse even experienced patients. This foundational course gives you the map of how the system actually works for older adults. By the end of this course you will be able to describe the main parts of Medicare and supplemental coverage, explain how geriatric care differs from general adult care, recognize the high-risk transitions that drive most preventable errors, and identify when to seek a geriatrics-trained clinician. What you will learn: - The structure of Medicare: Parts A, B, C, and D, plus Medigap and Medicare Advantage - How Medicare interacts with Medicaid for those who qualify for both - The principles of geriatric medicine and how they differ from standard adult care - The role of comprehensive geriatric assessment and which patients benefit most - The risks of polypharmacy and how medication review is done - How transitions between hospital, rehab, home, and long-term care drive most adverse events - The roles of geriatricians, primary care, specialists, nurse practitioners, social workers, and case managers The course uses readings, system diagrams, and case examples. Each module ends with reflection prompts that you apply to your parent's actual care situation. This course is written for adult children and others involved in healthcare decisions for an older adult. By the end you will have replaced confusion about Medicare and a fragmented care experience with a clear understanding of the system, and you will know which questions to ask and which professionals to seek out.