Week 4: Spring 2015
Visiting Your Doctor
It is a good idea to prepare yourself when you plan to see your doctor.
Prioritize - what is your most pressing health issue? During a regular visit you might only have the chance to discuss one or two things with your doctor. If you feel that you need more time with your doctor, ask the receptionist for a longer appointment when booking your visit.
Write your concerns down - write your most concerning health problem(s) down and take the list to your doctor. That way you can refer to your list, when you feel you can't remember what you came for.
Take a friend/ caregiver along - ask someone from your support circle to accompany you. They might be helpful in providing information and they can be helpful to recall what was said during your visit.
Speak Up - often doctors are in a hurry. When you feel overwhelmed don't be afraid to ask the doctor to slow down, so you can grasp what they are telling you.
Prepare - it might be a good idea to keep a diary of your symptoms and concerns and bring that along to your doctor's visit.
Inform yourself - you can find information by browsing the internet and looking for books in your library and/ or bookstore.
During our session, one of the care givers pointed out the importance of Advance Care Planning. He pointed out the importance of getting the right documents in place as early as possible, so that the affected person will get health care and personal care according to their own wishes. Also, to appoint someone you trust to handle financial and legal affairs. There are various documents out there (Power of Attorney, Enduring Power of Attorney, Representation Agreement, Health Care Agreement, ...) and it is important to understand the difference between them, as this might have severe implications on the affected person and their caregivers and families. As a citizen of British Columbia you should make sure that your documents are for BC and registered/legalized in BC.
There are some good resources available online and in print as it would be too much for this web-page to go into detail:
- The Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre is a non-profit, charitable organization. Nidus provides information to British
Columbians about personal planning, specializing in Representation Agreements. http://www.nidus.ca
- Nidus provides information on explaining the difference between Power of Attorney and Enduring Power of Attorney:
http://www.nidus.ca/PDFs/Nidus_Info_POA-EPA_Differences.pdf
- Also, general information on Personal Planning: http://www.nidus.ca/?page_id=3968
- The BC Ministery of Health has published a booklet called “My Voice -Expressing My Wishes For Future Health Care Treatment”. It
is a guide and a work book that takes you through the steps to create an Advance Care Plan, outlining your wishes about care
decisions in the event you are unable to do so. The link for the booklet in PDF format is:
http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2013/MyVoice-AdvanceCarePlanningGuide.pdf
- The link to the BC Government web page with general information about advance care planning and information on how to order a printed copy of My Voice is here: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=E7A581A9BC0A467E916CFC5AD2D3B1E8
- The Kootenay Council of Seniors Associations (KCOSA) provides workshops informing about Advance Care Planning in the
Kootenay region. To find out if they are having a workshop coming up near you: https://kcosa.wordpress.com/about/
Or contact: Craig & Judy Gray; Phone: 250-352-6635; Email: kcosakootenaycosco@gmail.com
These are just a few links which we think might be helpful. You can find much more information if you search the web for: Power of Attorney, Enduring Power of Attorney, Representation Agreement, Health Care Agreement, etc
Visiting Your Doctor
It is a good idea to prepare yourself when you plan to see your doctor.
Prioritize - what is your most pressing health issue? During a regular visit you might only have the chance to discuss one or two things with your doctor. If you feel that you need more time with your doctor, ask the receptionist for a longer appointment when booking your visit.
Write your concerns down - write your most concerning health problem(s) down and take the list to your doctor. That way you can refer to your list, when you feel you can't remember what you came for.
Take a friend/ caregiver along - ask someone from your support circle to accompany you. They might be helpful in providing information and they can be helpful to recall what was said during your visit.
Speak Up - often doctors are in a hurry. When you feel overwhelmed don't be afraid to ask the doctor to slow down, so you can grasp what they are telling you.
Prepare - it might be a good idea to keep a diary of your symptoms and concerns and bring that along to your doctor's visit.
Inform yourself - you can find information by browsing the internet and looking for books in your library and/ or bookstore.
During our session, one of the care givers pointed out the importance of Advance Care Planning. He pointed out the importance of getting the right documents in place as early as possible, so that the affected person will get health care and personal care according to their own wishes. Also, to appoint someone you trust to handle financial and legal affairs. There are various documents out there (Power of Attorney, Enduring Power of Attorney, Representation Agreement, Health Care Agreement, ...) and it is important to understand the difference between them, as this might have severe implications on the affected person and their caregivers and families. As a citizen of British Columbia you should make sure that your documents are for BC and registered/legalized in BC.
There are some good resources available online and in print as it would be too much for this web-page to go into detail:
- The Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre is a non-profit, charitable organization. Nidus provides information to British
Columbians about personal planning, specializing in Representation Agreements. http://www.nidus.ca
- Nidus provides information on explaining the difference between Power of Attorney and Enduring Power of Attorney:
http://www.nidus.ca/PDFs/Nidus_Info_POA-EPA_Differences.pdf
- Also, general information on Personal Planning: http://www.nidus.ca/?page_id=3968
- The BC Ministery of Health has published a booklet called “My Voice -Expressing My Wishes For Future Health Care Treatment”. It
is a guide and a work book that takes you through the steps to create an Advance Care Plan, outlining your wishes about care
decisions in the event you are unable to do so. The link for the booklet in PDF format is:
http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2013/MyVoice-AdvanceCarePlanningGuide.pdf
- The link to the BC Government web page with general information about advance care planning and information on how to order a printed copy of My Voice is here: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=E7A581A9BC0A467E916CFC5AD2D3B1E8
- The Kootenay Council of Seniors Associations (KCOSA) provides workshops informing about Advance Care Planning in the
Kootenay region. To find out if they are having a workshop coming up near you: https://kcosa.wordpress.com/about/
Or contact: Craig & Judy Gray; Phone: 250-352-6635; Email: kcosakootenaycosco@gmail.com
These are just a few links which we think might be helpful. You can find much more information if you search the web for: Power of Attorney, Enduring Power of Attorney, Representation Agreement, Health Care Agreement, etc
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