How do you navigate doctor appointments with your loved one?
It's common for medical appointments to be fast-paced and overwhelming, particularly when caring for someone with dementia.
Have you ever faced challenges with medical staff not recognizing you as the primary caregiver?
How do you balance advocating for your loved one while also respecting their autonomy and dignity?
If your loved one is in the later stages of the disease, have you struggled to communicate their needs?
How do you navigate these situations?
As my father's caregiver, we best navigated doctor appointments by keeping information about our visit simple. I would let my father know if he was to have blood tests and that he might play card and word games (memory and word recall tests). We kept things calm and light in the car and listened to his favorite music. Once the visit started, if Dad was uncomfortable or uncooperative, I asked to be able to take a break and try again. I always made sure to have fidgets in my bag for support. Snacks helped; talking in a calm voice and letting my father ask questions of the doctor helped a lot, too. We all did what we could to get as much completed as possible before concluding our visit. Thank you, Nancy Alzheimersdisease.net Team Member
