Why Every Senior Needs More Than Just a Doctor and Power of Attorney
Navigators
5 minutes
Aug 18, 2025
Key Takeaways
A PCP and POA are not enough to manage day-to-day healthcare needs.
Healthcare Navigators help fill the gap with proactive and coordinated care.
Seniors with navigators have fewer hospitalizations and better health outcomes.
Social factors like transportation, food access, and housing impact 80% of health outcomes.
Medicare now covers services like Aviator Health that address these critical needs.
Having a Primary Care Provider and a Power of Attorney used to feel like enough. But after decades in senior care, one thing has become clear: these roles don’t actually manage care. What’s missing? A dedicated Healthcare Navigator: someone who knows the system, knows your loved one, and knows how to keep small problems from becoming emergencies. Here's why every senior needs one.
Recognize the Limits of a PCP and POA
After decades working as a hospital case manager and home health liaison - and personally helping my own grandparents navigate the healthcare maze - I’ve come to understand a hard truth: having a Primary Care Provider (PCP) and a Power of Attorney (POA) is simply not enough. While these are critical pieces of a senior’s safety net, they only scratch the surface of what’s needed. What’s missing for most families is a dedicated healthcare navigator and advocate: someone whose sole job is to anticipate, coordinate, and guide care long before a crisis happens. Companies like Aviator Health are changing the game by providing exactly that: personalized, proactive support that prevents avoidable hospitalizations and promotes aging with dignity.
Understand the Role of a Healthcare Navigator
Let’s be clear: every senior should have a PCP who knows their medical history and a POA who can step in when decisions must be made. But too often, families realize too late that neither of these roles actually manages care. The PCP may be overloaded with appointments and rarely has insight into what’s happening at home. A POA may not even live in the same city. That’s where a healthcare navigator - like those at Aviator Health - becomes essential. They bridge the gap between doctor visits and daily life, catching red flags early, coordinating services like home health or physical therapy, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Conclusion
I’ve seen firsthand how these services change lives. A daughter struggling to manage her mom’s dementia while working full-time was matched with an Aviator Healthcare Navigator who helped coordinate adult day care, adjust medication plans, and even resolve a dispute with their Medicare Advantage plan. A recently discharged veteran got help securing VA benefits, setting up in-home rehab, and avoiding a return trip to the hospital. These stories are becoming more common thanks to companies like Aviator Health, who provide one-on-one relationships, local resources, and consistent follow-up that even the best hospitals struggle to deliver.
In a system that’s often confusing, fragmented, and reactive, a dedicated healthcare navigator is the missing piece that brings everything together. We’ve normalized having a PCP and POA—but it’s time to normalize having someone who actually manages care. If you or a loved one are over 65, now is the time to get proactive. Aviator Health offers Medicare-paid services that can give you peace of mind, reduce health risks, and ensure someone is always on your side. Because in senior care, the best crisis is the one you never have.