Gary Barg, Editor-in-Chief
In my 20s, I remember spending (possibly) too much time hanging out with friends at my local watering holes.
In my 30s, we moved our hangouts into a variety of different and interesting restaurants.
In my 40s and 50s, I spent more time than I’d like to remember hanging out in airport waiting rooms around the country.
Now my 60s, my hangouts have moved into various ologist offices. Tips and gratuities have now been morphed into co-pays and parking fees. Just as there are standards of behaviors that must be adhered to in order to spend time in bars, restaurants and even airports, I’ve learned that there are also important standards of behaviors for making these ologist office visits positive for all involved.
- Respect. Every member of your doctor's team needs and deserves to be treated with your respect, starting with the receptionist. The front office team can go a long way towards your having a successful visit.
- Readiness. Have any questions written down in advance. Let the doctor know you will need some time at the end of the session in order to ask them. Don’t let any unfamiliar terms or acronyms go unchallenged.
- Recorder. One of my favorite tips shared by a caregiver at a Fearless Caregiver Conference was her recommendation for caregivers to use a tape recorder when her loved ones doctor would give instructions. It helped her better understand what the doctor wanted when she played back the recording after returning home. Besides, nothing helps make a physician's conversation become more clear and concise then when they know you are taping their instructions.
Family Caregivers deserve to be treated as equal member of our loved ones care team and the first step to that is knowing the role you play as your loved ones caregiving advocate.
Share your tips in the comments section below