According to the US Census Bureau by 2034, there will be more people 65 years and older (77 million) than there will be under the age of 18 (76.5 million). One quarter of baby boomers (born 1946-1964) did not have children and about one third of Americans aged 45 - 62 are currently single.

In the past, when an aging adult needed assistance with healthcare and caregiving matters, their adult child(ren) or other younger family members were available to help out. As the statistics above point out, in the case of the current senior populations, there are fewer adult children to provide assistance.

For those who did not have children or lack the support of adult family members, ensuring support as they age requires an extra layer of intentional and thoughtful planning to make sure supports are in place when needed.

Navigating Solo Founder and Solo Aging Educator and Advocate Ailene Gerhardt, MA, BCPA, is passionate about this issue and sees the need for enhanced support and resources for solo agers. The Navigating Solo Network is designed to meet the growing needs and demands of this unique and important demographic.

Solo agers need and deserve:

• A wide array of support services and resources, many of which have only recently been developed or have not yet been created.

• To work with a diverse network of professionals that are knowledgeable about their unique needs

• Services, Tools, and Resources created with them in mind

• Guidance and support planning

• Greater public awareness

The Navigating Solo Network was founded by Ailene Gerhardt in October 2021. Ailene is an Independent Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) and founder of Beacon Patient Solutions LLC, based in Boston, Massachusetts. She works with individual clients in need of assistance navigating the complexities of the healthcare system and offers community education talks and classes on a wide array of healthcare advocacy topics.

Ailene earned her undergraduate degree from Clark University and her master’s degree from Brandeis University.

The experience as her mother’s primary health advocate led Ailene to a career change and her calling as a private patient advocate. Ailene completed her Professional Certificate in Consumer Health Advocacy at the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Patient Partnerships in August 2017, founded Beacon Patient Solutions LLC in February 2018, and earned her Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) credential in April 2018, and recertified in December 2021. Ailene serves on the Steering Committee of Massachusetts Healthcare Advocates (MAHCA) and is currently serving as the Vice President of the National Association for Healthcare Advocacy (NAHAC).

Ailene is a sought after speaker and has offered over 120 community education talks and classes since Spring 2018.

Ailene's dynamic advocacy work includes a focus on Solo Aging. This expertise led to the Fall 2021 founding of the Navigating Solo Network: The Path to Dynamic Solo Aging Starts Here!™

In September 2023, Ailene was honored with the Independent Advocate Award at the 2023 Healthcare Advocate Summit.

We created The Navigating Solo Network’s Empowered Solo membership to provide Solo Agers with the hands on tools to embark on a plan or build upon an existing plan to navigate aging Solo.

There are many wonderful additional benefits offered as an Empowered Solo member:

• Member Only Events & E-Newsletter

• Discussion Forums

• Small Group Classes

• Discounted DocuBank Membership

• 15% Discount for Beacon Patient Solutions’ SOLO AGERS Advocacy Initiative

Not ready to purchase a membership? You can continue to access the main site for free, no login required!

You will continue to have general access to:

• Events listings

• the Resource Library

• the Navigating Solo News general newsletter

• Our Navigating Solo Get Together series (held 2x times during the year)

• Social Media pages/groups and solo ager’s google discussion list

You can learn more about Corporate Partner Memberships here, becoming an Allied Professional here & Allied Organization Memberships here. You can see an overview all of memberships here!

Yes. We are working on developing training sessions and a training series for professionals to understand more fully about the needs of solo agers. We’ll have more news to share at the beginning of 2024!

Are you interested in attending a training session? Email Ailene!

Our Business Directory is currently being designed. Look for it to launch in February 2023!

February 2023 and beyond:

• Navigating Solo Workbook for Purchase

• Regional Groups

• Submit Your Navigating Solo Story

• Training Sessions for Professionals

• Speakers Bureau

• On Demand Webinars

• and more!