Guideline 11: Family carers displaying dominance
8 out of 11Specific Strategies
If unhealthy dominance/control is suspected, explore and address the situation either privately with the patient or in the consultation with the patient and family carer together
- Address the situation either:
- with the patient alone, or
- with the patient and family carer together.
- Use your judgement to decide which approach would be most productive.
- After checking in with the patient, consider sensitively highlighting to the family member that they need to let the patient take the lead (while also acknowledging that you appreciate how much they support the patient).
Click for example wording
- Privately with the patient “If I have understood you correctly, you would prefer your daughter to take on a more supportive role so that you are able to be more actively involved. Is that right? ... Perhaps when your daughter comes back into the room, I could talk to her about how we really value her involvement - but that it is also important we give you the opportunity to discuss your wishes. Would that be ok?”
- In the consultation with the patient and family carer “Thankyou for coming to these consultations and supporting [patient]. I do want to talk about one issue though. When you talk a lot for [patient], it is harder for me to work out what he/she thinks and wants. While it’s wonderful to see you care so much about [patient], I’d like to hear what [he/she] thinks now. I think we would all agree that we are aiming to support [patient], and to do that we need to hear from [patient] about how [he/she] feels. OK?”.
OVERALL COMPLETION
