27. Six Weeks, One Infection: Advocating for Your Elderly Parent

My mom just had surgery and started noticing something wasn't healing right. When she called the office, the front desk told her there were no appointments for six weeks, until September, and only the surgeon who did the procedure could see her. She's eighty two. She was worried, she was doing everything right, and the system still told her no.

So we pushed back. I explained exactly what we did, from getting the photo the office had requested (something she couldn't do herself, since it was a spot on her own shoulder blade she couldn't reach or see) to what happened when the callback silence started again just days later. This episode walks through the whole thing in real time, because if you're the one watching your parent heal and hitting a wall with their doctor's office, you need to know it's not just you, and you don't have to accept "no" as the final answer.

If there's one thing I want you to take from this, it's that advocating for your parent, or teaching them to advocate for themselves, isn't optional after a certain age. It's part of loving them well. You don't need a medical degree to push a door open. You just need to keep pushing.

Feeling overwhelmed by what's next for your parent?

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© 2026 Selective Ideas, Inc. All rights reserved. Navigating Elderly Parents is produced by Selective Ideas, Inc.Educational & Informational Purposes Only. This podcast is general education, not legal, financial, tax, insurance, medical, therapeutic, or mental health advice, and should not be your only basis for any decision. The host is not an attorney, doctor, or financial advisor. Guests may be licensed professionals, but nothing here creates an attorney-client or any other professional relationship. Guest views are their own. We do not diagnose or give individual advice, and we cannot guarantee any result. Your parent has rights: if they can legally make their own decisions, those decisions belong to them. Do not act for them without their permission or proper legal authority, like a power of attorney. Laws differ by state and change. Before you sign or use any legal document, talk with an elder law attorney in your state. You use this information at your own risk. In a medical emergency, call 911.