Life insurance, health insurance, vehicle insurance, homeowners insurance - it's been a good year if you haven't had to "push one," "push two" on the phone with an insurance company. Imagine that you're elderly, don't hear too well, and don't understand the circular phone system you're lost in. Impossible.

If you're helping an aging parent, eventually you will have to deal with an insurance company. If you do a little homework ahead of time you'll be saved the temptation to throw the phone through a window when you ultimately need to make that call.

When you're calling an insurance company or a health care provider for someone other than yourself you will run into privacy laws. It will do no good to fight the concept. It's bigger than you, me, or the poor unfortunate person on the other end of the phone who would like nothing better than to give you want you need so he or she can help the next customer. Without violating federal law, they can't.

There are two ways to handle insurance privacy laws if you are calling for someone else.

The first is the easiest short term solution: have the senior you are calling for in the same room. Your senior can give verbal authorization to the insurance company representative so he or she can talk to you. Your senior will be asked the standard identifiers: name, date of birth, mother's maiden name. He or she can then hand the phone over to you do handle the rest of the conversation.

This works well if your business is uncomplicated and you won't have to call again. If you do have to call back, you'll have to have your senior with you again. Verbal authorizations are only good for the duration of the call.

If you want to be able to communicate with a parent's insurance companies over time, the best thing you can do is have him or her sign an Authorization To Release Information form. This form permits the insurance company to give information to the person named on the Release, whether the person who signed the release is present or not.

Call your parent's insurance company and ask the customer service representative for their Release of Information document. Read the instructions carefully and have your senior sign it as instructed. When you return it make sure you put your parent's name, account number, ID number, and any other identifying information except the Social Security number on each page of the document. Expect to wait a week or so after you have faxed your document for it to be filed and entered into whatever electronic data system the insurance company uses. If you have mailed it, wait two weeks. Once your authorization is on file you should be able to speak with anyone at the company and get any kind of information you might need.

The Eldercare Team invites you to learn how to help an elderly parent or other relative deal with these same insurance and other crazy-making issues. Pick up resources, more articles and plenty of tips about helping seniors at http://www.eldercareteam.com/articles.htm