I’ve Got Your Back Again

There are moments when advocacy arrives quietly.

No protest sign. No microphone. No dramatic movie soundtrack.

Sometimes advocacy sounds like, “Can we slow down and explain that again?” Sometimes it looks like a daughter taking notes during a medical appointment, a neighbour checking on a confused friend, or a business owner changing a process because a customer said, “This is harder than it needs to be.”

That is advocacy. Ordinary people caring enough to speak up.

The first Maturity Matters article on advocacy offered a simple and sturdy frame: communicate, follow up, and act. That advice still holds. What has changed is the pressure around it. More people are living longer.  More care is happening at home.  More families are becoming the quiet infrastructure under our health and social systems.

Statistics Canada reported that 42% of Canadians aged 15+ provided unpaid care to children or care-dependent adults in 2022, representing 13.4 million people. About 6% were “sandwich” caregivers, supporting both children and care-dependent adults. That is a lot of calendars, pill bottles, phone calls, and late-night worry. (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2024002-eng.htm)

The National Seniors Council reported that more than 95% of people receiving long-term home care have an unpaid caregiver, and nearly 2 in 5 of those caregivers experience distress, including exhaustion, anger, depression, or guilt. (https://www.canada.ca/en/national-seniors-council/programs/publications-reports/dialogue-caregivers.html)

So, yes, advocacy matters.

It matters when Mom is discharged from a hospital with new medication, and no one explains the side effects. It matters when a client cannot read a form printed in eight-point font. It matters when a maturing customer is spoken over, rushed, or treated as though age has cancelled competence. Spoiler alert: it has not.

Ageism adds another layer. The World Health Organization describes ageism as a force that affects how people are seen, treated, and included in decisions, and its global report gathers evidence on its impact and prevention. A 2025 B.C. survey found that 84% of 9,200 respondents believed ageism was an issue, and 54% said they had been directly affected by it. Many older people reported feeling dismissed and invisible. (https://www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca/osa-reports/reframing-ageing-british-columbians-thoughts-on-ageism/)

That word, invisible, should make us all feel uncomfortable.

Because invisibility is not a small inconvenience. It can mean a missed diagnosis. A service not offered. A concern not heard. A complaint quietly filed into the “too hard” folder.

Advocacy pushes back.

Not rudely. Not aggressively. Firmly.

Good advocacy begins with respect, because respect keeps doors open. It also begins with preparation, because emotion without facts can be dismissed too easily. Before a meeting, consultation, appointment, or service conversation, write down:

• What happened
• Who was involved
• What outcome is needed
• What timing is reasonable
• What has already been tried

Keep it short. Think “grocery list,” not “Epic novel.”

During the conversation, ask one question at a time. Pause. Listen. Clarify. Ask who owns the next step. Ask when follow-up will happen. Then write it down. The humble notebook remains undefeated.

Research supports this practical approach. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reviewed structured communication with family caregivers during care transitions, such as discharge from hospital to home, and identified caregiver involvement as a patient-safety practice worth studying and strengthening. AHRQ also provides tools to help health teams work with patients and families to improve safety and quality. (https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/patients-families/patient-family-engagement/index.html)

Advocacy also belongs in business.

Age-Friendly Business® members already understand that the age 50+ market is powerful, experienced, savvy, and often underserved. The client who asks for clearer instructions is giving you a gift. The customer who says your waiting area is difficult is handing you market research without an invoice attached. The person who needs more time to decide may become your most loyal referral source when treated with patience and dignity.

The message is clear. People are living longer, systems are stretched, and families, friends, and businesses are filling the gaps.

So, what can one person do?

Speak up early. Ask questions without apology. Bring someone with you. Put concerns in writing. Praise what works. Challenge what harms. Refuse to confuse politeness with silence.

And when you are the professional, the business owner, the advisor, or the front-line person, become the safe place where advocacy does not have to turn into battle.

Sometimes the most powerful sentence is, “I hear you. Let’s see what we can do.”

That is advocacy with heart.

Rhonda Latreille, MBA, CPCA®
Founder & CEO
Age-Friendly Business®

p.s. Since 2003, Age-Friendly Business® has trained thousands of professionals and businesses committed to learning how to improve the quality of the client, customer, and community experience. They are called Certified Professional Consultants on Aging (CPCAs)® and Age-Friendly Businesses®. They have earned the right to ask for your business.

Body

Advocacy and the Body’s Alarm System

Speaking up for yourself or someone else can feel stressful at first. The heart beats faster. The palms may sweat. The brain starts rehearsing seventeen versions of the same sentence. Very helpful, brain. Thank you.

Yet respectful advocacy can reduce distress over time because confusion and helplessness are heavy loads to carry. When people understand the plan, are included in the conversations, know who to contact, and feel heard, the body can move out of “alarm mode” and back toward steadier ground.

A simple body-friendly advocacy habit: before a call or meeting, take three slow breaths and write your main request in one sentence. Calm is easier to access when your words are already waiting.

Spirit

The Voice That Refuses to Vanish

“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed.”
William Faulkner