title: The Effects of Age, Mental Health, and Comorbidity on the Perceived Likelihood of Hiring a Healthcare Advocate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The projected increase in chronically ill older adults may overburden the healthcare system and compromise the receipt of quality and coordinated health care services. Healthcare advocates (HCAs) may help to alleviate the burden associated with seeking and receiving appropriate health care. We examined whether having dementia or depression, along with hypertension and arthritis, or having no comorbid medical conditions, and being an older adult, affected the perceived likelihood of hiring an HCA to navigate the health care system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N = 1,134), age 18 or older, read a vignette and imagined themselves as an older adult with either a mood or cognitive disorder, and comorbid medical conditions or as otherwise being physically healthy. They were then asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their perceived likelihood of hiring an HCA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants who imagined themselves as having dementia reported a greater likelihood of hiring an HCA than participants who imagined themselves as having depression (p < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is imperative that health care professionals attend to the growing and ongoing needs of older adults living with chronic conditions, and HCAs could play an important role in meeting those needs.
authors.affiliation: San Diego State University, Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Symone A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McKinnon
authors.affiliation: San Diego State University, Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Breanna M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Holloway
authors.affiliation: San Diego State University, Department of Psychology; University of California, San Diego (UCSD) /San Diego State University (SDSU), Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology.
authors.forename: Maya S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.affiliation: San Diego State University, Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: April C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: San Diego State University, Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Cronan
keywords: aging; comorbidity; dementia; depression; healthcare advocate