Janie Dalrymple, of Dalrymple and Associates, is ready to serve Fountain Hills as an independent patient advocate, elder care consultant and end-of-life doula.

The business is set to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Chamber of Commerce next Thursday, Jan. 9, from 5 to 6 p.m. The Chamber is located at 16837 E. Palisades Blvd.

As a patient advocate, Dalrymple said she can assist a patient with everything from reviewing a medication list to make sure there are no drug interactions or duplications to following a patient in a hospital to make sure their needs are met and their wishes are heard.

“Sometimes a patient wants to know if there are more options than just what the doctor suggests,” Dalrymple added.

Dalrymple also offers her services as an elder care consultant and end-of-life doula.

“This means I can assist an independent person who is aging with coming up with an end-of-life plan,” she continued, explaining this includes such topics as living arrangements versus needs and means. “this includes completing paperwork for Power of Attorney and Advance Directives if they haven’t done that yet. Additionally, I can be present when a person is actively dying to provide support to the family and offer respite care.

“I can also identify the dying process going on with the person so the loved ones are not scared of this process.

“Sometimes the dying patient has last wishes or things they want to say and I can assist with this. I can also help the person and family with funeral and celebration of life planning.”

Dalrymple has been a nurse for nearly 16 years, with a background that includes inpatient cardiac and neurology units, home health care and outpatient neurology. She also subcontracts with the ALS Association as their nurse educator and is board certified as a patient advocate and legal nurse consultant. She is also certified as an end of life doula and elder care consultant.

Dalrymple said she chose her field partially due to an experience she had with her mother’s passing. She served as her mother’s advocate in 2018, making sure she received the best possible care. Her mother was eventually discharged and thrived. A few months later, however, her mother was admitted for a routine outpatient procedure. Following kidney failure and a cascade of events, her mother passed.

“I was not present during that admission; her nurse told me she was ‘fine’ over the phone,” Dalrymple said. “After her death, I felt compelled to be an advocate to so many patients out there that need a voice when trying to navigate the healthcare system.”

As far as being a doula, Dalrymple said she lost her husband unexpectedly in 2017 and learned that trying to deal with funeral planning while grieving was a “terrible experience.”

“I want to be able to provide that peace of mind to other people to make sure that those arrangements are made, that a person has a say in how the end of their life ‘looks’ to them, and make sure their desires are fulfilled,” Dalrymple said.

Dalrymple said she looks forward to helping patients navigate the healthcare system and, while she understands that death is hard to talk about, she wants “to be that person that can provide a friendly, compassionate option when helping them plan out their end of life.”

“We plan for everything else in our life – family, vacations, retirement – why not death?”

In addition to her ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 9, Dalrymple said she will host a booth at the All Things Senior Expo on Feb. 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

For more information, visit yourpatientsadvocate.com. Dalrymple can be reached at 260-489-5987 or via email at Janie@yourpatientsadvocate.com.