Communication

Questions and Answers

1. Should I sit in on my dad's medical appointments to make sure he discusses all issues he's having?

   - Should I sit in on my dad's doctor appointments? Should I call ahead to prime the doctor with topics that he might not bring up? Oftentimes we will find out that Dad did not ask about something we felt was important, because he thought that the doctor would somehow be able to notice what was wrong...
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2. How can I get my father to tell the doctor how bad his pain is?

   - How to manage your parent's cancer pain by improving communication with the doctor about his pain and pain treatment.
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3. How do you explain to someone that they are going into respite care for 1 week and then permanently into a nursing home?

   - How do you explain to someone that they are going into respite care for one week and then permanently into a nursing home?
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4. How can we persuade my father to talk to us about his health and other issues?

   - Our father seems to be having a lot of problems managing on his own, but he won't let us help. What should we do?
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5. How do you deal with a parent that is unable to communicate?

   - How do you, as a caregiver, deal with a parent that is unable to communicate? It is very difficult and frustrating to know if your parent has a serious medical condition or a comfort issue without the parent being able to speak.
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6. How do I get my dad to share the responsibility of making decisions about my mother's healthcare with me?

   - My dad wants to be the advocate for my mother regarding healthcare, but he does not question the doctors and doesn't understand anything technical they tell him well enough to pass it on to me. How do I go about setting up a channel of communication between her doctors and me?
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7. Should me tell my mother, who has dementia and can get very emotional, that her brother has passed away?

   - My mom, 73 years old, has had dementia for about a year and a half. Just recently we had to put her in a nursing home. She has other health problems beside the dementia (diabetes, heart issues, and overweight). Her brother passed away while she was in the hospital, before she went in the home...
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8. How can I help convince my mother that it's time to move into a retirement community?

   - My father is ready to move into a retirement community, but my mother refuses. My father can't take care of her anymore, but What can I do?
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9. What is the best approach when my father can't remember the answer to the question he just asked again?

   - My father has Parkinson's and dementia. What is the best approach with him when he continues to repeat a question and truly does not remember the answer? I have him in a nursing home and they are working with him on his memory but until he progresses it gets frustrating.
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10. How can I get my aunt who has dementia to leave her house...

    - How can I get my aunt who has dementia to leave her house for appointments, family visits, entertainment, social activities, etc.? She often refuses. My aunt used to be very active.
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