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I hope you were able to listen to my interview with Viki Kind (bioethicist and author.) It is so worth 30 minutes of your time to learn about how to make compassionate decisions about your parent’s healthcare. If you missed it, you can click here to listen to the archived recording.
During our interview, there was one question & answer that struck me as being extremely important to share. I asked Viki, “What is the best way to find a doctor who will respect and protect your aging parent’s wishes and needs?”
Here are her insightful tips:
- Ask a nurse who knows of or has worked with the doctor
- Ask for a reference from another trusted healthcare provider
- Check the doctor’s credentials online at a source such as http://www.healthgrades.com/
- Observe how the doctor interacts with your loved one. Viki advises the doctor should speak “to, not about” your parent. In other words, the doctor should connect with, not ignore your parent.
- Test the doctor to see if he’d respect your parent’s wishes. Take your parent’s Advance Directives to the doctor, and ask if he/she will be able to respect and implement end-of-life wishes.
- If your parent has strong cultural or religious views, it may be helpful to select a doctor of that culture or religion to ensure your parent’s wishes will be respected and met.
Be sure to check out Viki Kind’s new book: “The Caregiver’s Guide to Compassionate Decision Making: Making Decision For Those Who Can’t”
Her website is http://kindethics.com/
She will be on a book tour this summer in major cities across the country. To see if she’ll be in a city near you, go to http://booktour.com/author/viki_kind
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