Open Arms Patient Advocacy Society (OA) is an unbiased organization providing free patient support services in Alberta.
We are a group of compassionate volunteers who share a common goal: achieving the best possible care for all patients.
“Open Arms Patient Advocacy Society has helped me in my quest to get answers from the Calgary Health Region regarding the untimely death of my husband. They assisted me through a stressful period in my life. My advocate had firsthand experience with navigating through the policies and procedures of the healthcare system and had professional resources available. I would not have known about these if I had to do this all on my own. My advocate helped me to decipher my husband’s patient records and helped me develop a line of questions I needed to ask the Health Region.
I look forward to having my advocate with me when my questions are presented to the Health Region with hopes of getting answers and closure to my ordeal. Thank you, Open Arms.”
“Before coming to Open Arms Advocacy Society, I felt overwhelmed and uncertain about how to handle the challenges my family was facing in continuing care homes. Since working with my advocate, I’ve seen significant improvements in my stress levels, as I now understand my rights and feel more confident in navigating complex situations. My advocate has been an incredible source of support, helping me address concerns about my father’s care and guiding me through difficult interactions with staff and management at the facility. Her ability to listen, provide clear guidance, and keep me focused during emotionally challenged moments has been invaluable. She has helped me communicate effectively, draft impactful letters, and stay on track when meetings became overwhelming. Through this journey, I’ve learned how to advocate for my family and better understand patient rights in care homes. My advocate’s calm and knowledgeable approach has helped me feel heard and empowered. When I’ve raised issues, she ensured they were addressed with actionable solutions, even though the results sometimes fluctuated.
I would highly recommend Open Arms to anyone seeking support and guidance. The compassionate and professional advocacy I received has been life-changing, and I feel deeply grateful.”
“I want to thank Open Arms Patient Advocacy Society for providing me with guidance and assistance during my misdiagnosis. After trusting my doctor’s initial diagnosis of thyroid cancer, I decided to have my thyroid removed, but was told post-surgery that it was never cancerous to begin with. I began to wonder how this could have happened; I tried getting answers but was getting nowhere. At this point, a friend told me about Open Arms. My advocate immediately helped me feel at ease and confident that I could get the answers I needed. He provided me with information on how to work within the medical system and was able to schedule a meeting with the medical professionals and my family. We all hoped for honesty and transparency, which was given to the best of their ability, and it provided me with closure.
One thing that I learned through this experience is that you are in charge of your own health. If you receive a diagnosis and are second guessing it, you as the patient have every right to question it and ask for a second opinion. I am truly grateful to my advocate and Open Arms Patient Advocacy Society. Without them, I do not know if I would be where I am today.”