Part 4: Preparing for consultations

6 out of 7

Talk about your role as a carer:

It can be a good idea to sit down with the patient to discuss what roles would be most helpful for you to take on in a consultation. For example, you could ask them:

How can I best help you in the consultation?
How much should I speak up in the consultation?
Is there anything you want me to ask the doctor/nurse?
Is there anything you don’t want me to talk/ask about?
I am most concerned about (issue)... is it ok if we ask about it in the consultation?

The optional activity below can be completed together with the patient, to help figure out your roles in the consultation. Click + to complete optional activity.

ACTIVITY: How can I help in the consultation?

What you do to support your loved one in consultations depends on what you are willing to do, as well as what the patient would like you to do.

To figure out your role in an upcoming consultation, you and your loved one might find it helpful discuss the items on this checklist and together decide what you will do.

You may like to add other items to the list by typing them in. There is also an option to download your completed checklist should you wish to.

Things I could do in the next consultation:

Help with the paperwork (such as bringing results of tests, completing forms)
Take notes
Ask the doctor questions directly
Remind my loved one to tell the doctor about their symptoms
Provide information to the doctor
Remind my loved one to ask questions
Remind my loved one to tell the doctor information (e.g. their symptoms)
Make sure my loved one understands what the doctor says
Stay in the waiting room for part of the visit, so my loved one can talk to the doctor alone

Addtional items

This checklist was adapted from: Wolff, J. L., Roter, D. L., Barron, J., Boyd, C. M., Leff, B., Finucane, T. E., . . . Gitlin, L. N. (2014). A Tool to Strengthen the Older PatientCompanion Partnership in Primary Care: Results from a Pilot Study. J Am Geriatr Soc, 62, 312-319. doi:10.1111/jgs.12639

DOWNLOAD

Checklist

This activity was adapted from: Wolff, J. L., Roter, D. L., Barron, J., Boyd, C. M., Leff, B., Finucane, T. E., . . . Gitlin, L. N. (2014). A Tool to Strengthen the Older PatientCompanion Partnership in Primary Care: Results from a Pilot Study. J Am Geriatr Soc, 62, 312-319. doi:10.1111/jgs.12639

OVERALL COMPLETION