[00:00:02] Speaker A: So, you know, I will just be honest with you. This is a work in progress all the time, even with my own parents. But we have found some things that have helped, and I've worked with a lot of patients in the past who have, obviously, they're dealing with these things, too, from family members and memory issues to just whatever the reason may be. So I think, thankfully, is adding things all the time.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: As our parents grow older, it can be difficult to guide them through their golden years while still respecting their autonomy and fitting it into our already complex lives. Welcome to the Parent Projects podcast, where our guests share practical wisdom to tackle the issues that impact adult children of aging parents. I'm Tony Siebers. Thanks for joining us today.
[00:00:55] Speaker C: Hey, welcome. In this week, we've got a great guest, which I personally have a great affinity for because it's where my parent project's out of. Right. She's based out of Wichita, Kansas. Julie Stover, with advocacy, aging and healthcare consultants, has an opportunity to bring to us from a practitioner standpoint now, laying in what things look like, just what to expect from a doctor's office, how to prepare best when you're walking into one of those solutions, how to handle that situation, how to take something off the backside. Julie Stover, thanks for joining us today on the pair projects podcast, and I'm kind of anxious to dive right in with you. Thanks for being here.
[00:01:38] Speaker A: Hey, thanks so much. Let's definitely dive in.
[00:01:40] Speaker C: So, look, I guess we'll start with maybe expectations. Maybe you can maybe kind of set a tone for across the board in our lives. We're used to probably jumping in and the fact that we have really minimal amount of time with mom and dad or with the doctor, not mom and dad, but minimal amount of time with the doctor when we get in there. The insurance companies and the way that that works has probably got a condition that's down there, but I find mom and dad come at it with a different perspective, kind of historically. And can you talk us through sometimes just what's that look like at the base that we should be aware of when we start these conversations and preparing for going to a doctor's office?
[00:02:25] Speaker A: That's a really great question. And I think the biggest thing that we have to remember, too, is not only is having that conversation with our parents beforehand, but just trying to set the expectations, if you can, with them. As you mentioned historically, they are so used to something different. They're used to having that sit down conversation, as long as you need it, with their primary care physician or maybe one of their specialists, but unfortunately that's just not the case anymore. I would say with your pcps you might get the opportunity to talk for more than the six minutes with your specialists.
Unfortunately, a lot of times are just checking off boxes and their nurses are coming in and doing all of the pre work beforehand. So the more you can have ready going into those appointments, the more chances you have to actually spend time potentially with your doctor and at least getting the information to the nurse to share with him so that they are her to give them a heads up. So it's harder than ever because quite frankly, there's less providers that are accepting Medicare these days and so they're in a time crunchy too, to hurry up and get everybody in that they can. So the more prepared we can be, the better. As far as preparing our parents, the best thing to know, their biggest concern, at least in my experience, and that comes from my professional experience as well as my own personal experience with my parents, is that they are so afraid of losing their voice, losing their ability to do things. So I make a special effort to really, whether I'm talking to someone about how to engage with their parents or even with my own, we talk about everything before each appointment and try to set those expectations with them up front, talk about how they're going to communicate and who's going to do the communicating during the appointment so that they feel like they're a part of the appointment and that I'm just not going in there or that other family members not just going in there and doing everything for.
[00:04:35] Speaker C: That's really great. So you started with something I want to back up a little bit. Maybe in setting a baseline, you made a comment, know fewer people are taking Medicare, working off of Medicare. What we start seeing, what we've started noticing across the country is exactly that. We're even seeing some doctor's office that'll maybe stack their Medicare on Tuesdays or they'll stack them on certain days and those are when they have that or one complaint that we've seen and actually I've experienced this in my family is as soon as they went from insurance, covered by the job and went into retirement and went on to Medicare, they found that they got bumped like a week before or a week out, they get bumped for somebody, conceivably everybody's thinking because it didn't happen before, it's for somebody who maybe has different insurance, isn't on Medicare, has a different or a better paying payer.
Real, it's a real thing. Generally. Do you see that that will continue to increase, do you think we'll probably hold firm in that? Or is that like this is something we just have to prep for that six minutes to ten minutes is probably what we're going to have in the foreseeable future.
[00:05:46] Speaker A: So I'm not an expert per se, but what I can see from our own experiences here, just to kind of give you an idea, is there's larger corporations who are, some are trying to move to more of a concierge care model for their employees that are younger than retirement age. And so what we're seeing is obviously less doctors currently that are accepting Medicare patients. But in the future, we're seeing these employees who've been covered under a concierge care group of primary care doctors. They're going to get to retirement age and they are going to have a harder time finding a doctor once that's going to accept Medicare, which is going to put more stress and more responsibility on the primary care provider. So personally, I do not see that this is going to change. I think if anything, it's probably going to get worse as we move forward, especially with corporations changing the coverage that they're providing for their employees.
[00:06:52] Speaker C: Okay. So if we're going to take into that and we'll set our minds that we're looking for six to ten minutes to effectively maybe communicate in a meeting.
I remember having these conversations in my parent projects with a grandmother of preparing them for that six to ten minutes. And they get really kind of frustrated because these things that they used to talk about that happened at home with their doctors previously, sometimes it was about how they got comfortable in the first place to have a sensitive conversation. And that is rough. But some of it, to a grandmother's point, were things that she just felt were impacting these things going on in my house are impacting how things are happening to me. So I really like that you talked about not just for their voice, but sitting down and starting to make maybe even a list of the top concerns that we do want to talk about, and we're making sure that we're coming in or that they really want to talk about or focus on of what those major topics are. That's kind of where I got a sense you were moving with that. Am I tracking?
[00:07:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
I think our parents, as we both have said, they're used to having developed or being able to have a conversation. And so unfortunately, because there's less time in that, they still want to be able to sit down and they want to be able to have that connection point, and then they want to talk about what's going on, then they might want to bring up anything else that is going on that might not even be related to the reason that you're at the appointment. And unfortunately, not all doctors, they're going to say, well, we're here today to discuss this. So sometimes it's about helping that senior family member to develop the mindset of what needs to be discussed and maybe what needs to be something talked about in a different session and being as prepared as you can so you can walk into that appointment and have a list of things that you want to talk about, what symptoms are being experienced with that particular concern, and making sure that you have other documentation that you know they're going to ask, because if it's a Medicare patient, they're going to always ask about your current medications.
Have you had all of your vaccinations? If it's someone who's diabetic, they're going to ask, what has your blood sugar been? And have you been logging that? So there's just certain things that they're always going to ask. And those are those things that after you've been to the appointments at least a couple of times, you know what they're going to ask. And you can start to have those ready before you even get to the appointment so that it allows more conversational time.
[00:09:33] Speaker C: That's great. And as we do look at effective use of technology, my hope would be we get to more and more of that can be collected, maybe ahead of time. Wearables or other things that happen remotely can send those things in ahead of the conversation so that we effectively get the most amount of time of having that contextual conversation with them. Okay, so we've established a good list of what we want to talk about, and we maybe understand who's going to start talking about something. What do we need to know about who gets to talk about something? When you get to a doctor's office, if you know you're coming with mom and dad, what are the best ways to make that happen? Let me say that knowing that every doctor's office really gets that opportunity to control how that's going to go down and you just kind of have to vote with your feet and what's a good fit for you?
What are things you can do to set yourself up for success documentation wise?
[00:10:28] Speaker A: So I think, first of all, as far as the communication that happens, how do you decide who's going to talk? I think it's really important for you to have for that whoever is taking the parent to their appointment to really have a good idea of what that parent's, and I'm going to say cognitive level, but how are they able to communicate? How are they able to answer questions about their current situation and their concerns?
For me, in my situation, my parents are forgetting more and my parents are having a more difficult time, even if we're going over things beforehand. So we sit down and have a conversation and talk about what are the things that I'm going to talk about, or you're going to answer these questions? And are you okay with me jumping in and filling in the gaps if you're not able to provide all the information the doctor is asking? So making sure that I'm setting that ahead of time. But also, I think I've noticed, even with my own parents, that because we have a health history that's already been prepared, so we can go in and we just add to it anytime that there's a next appointment. So if there's been anything new that's happened, we just add to that health history and we can hand that over to the nurse because those are those things that the nurse is going to ask about. And then we also go over their medications.
Most doctors will say, they'll say, oh, just put all your medications in a bag and bring them to the appointment. Well, most of the time that works, but a lot of times it's kind of a pain and it's more work for the professionals that are there trying to get through everything to get the doctor on his schedule. And so what we've done is develop a pretty detailed medical list, and it is literally even organized by color code as far as what the medicine is for. So if it's for cardiac, it's pink, if it's for diabetes, it's blue, or whatever the case may be. But it breaks down every bit of information. And I can't tell you how many times we've gone in and they're just like, thank you so much, because all they have to go in and do is say, oh, yeah, this is still current. This is still current. This is still current. And they're not trying to figure out what they are and aren't taking and what the milligrams are. So it helps, again, be prepared for the meeting or for the visit. But then also it really helps you to have a little bit more time with the doctor when they come in.
[00:13:00] Speaker C: In the context, too, of what all you're on. Right. Especially as you get older, you have multiple symptoms or you might be dealing with multiple things, and those medications can start conflicting. You want to treat one thing in one particular way, but that would cause you to have to not take one particular medication for a prolonged period of time, but you really value what that medication is doing and you don't want to come off of that thing. So it allows those conversations to come through with a little more context.
I love that approach. We've literally seen that in our family parent projects personally, too, where it's allowed them to. Not to be seen as being obstinate to what the doctor is stating, but being able to show what's because I don't want to come off of this thing. If I come off of this, I don't like this side effect. And it allowed them to find a middle ground that they were going to do. So I love documenting and having that ready because that bag is almost.
It takes a lot of time. Honestly, even receiving it means they have to document it and write it down and pull each one out. And having that all ready is most usable. That's fantastic.
[00:14:03] Speaker A: The other thing, too, I would really encourage family members to do is don't be afraid to ask questions about the meds. A lot of times, at least with the age group that my parents are in, they just kind of grew up in a time where you just did whatever the doctor told you to do, and you bring up a very good point. What if there's something that's conflicting because these doctors are sometimes having to move so fast through appointments they may miss something? So earmark those things that you have questions on, or at one point, I had a family member that was on multiple diabetes meds, and I said, is there a reason why we're on three diabetes meds? Aren't they all contributing to the same thing? Can we cut? And two of them are extremely expensive. So I said, is there any reason why we can't cut these?
Do one instead of three, something like that. So write those questions down before the appointment so that when you do get in there and things are moving really fast, you've got those earmarked to ask those types of questions.
[00:15:05] Speaker C: Boy, and that time does move really fast. Can you talk to me about, as we push through HIPAA, right. And healthcare information and those protocols that come around healthcare information today, what are some of those things we need to be prepared for document wise, to walk in there and to really advocate well, for a family member that you've seen.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: So everybody is very familiar with every time they're going into a doctor's office for the first time every year you've got to fill out your HIPAA form and that's for any patient, you've got to fill that out. What I have really had to ingrain in the people that I've helped as well as my parents is literally reminding them, oh, it's that time of year, you've got to fill out that HIPAA form. But that's not just it. I think a lot of families think that that's the only thing that's needed. And in reality, and I'm not a legal expert by any means, but I've learned from my own experiences, you've got to have a medical POA put in place, especially if your family member is not able to solely take care of all of their medical decisions or financial decisions themselves. So you need to look into have a medical and financial pOa, but those documents need to come with they a lot of times in the doctor's offices and definitely with insurance, we will refer to it as an authorized representative. And so you've got to have that. And what I have even found out my own self recently is not just letting the medical side. So if they have to go to the hospital or they go to the ER, make sure that you've got that authorized representative indicated on their file, both in the medical side and in the billing department. And if it's the insurance company, unfortunately they don't all speak together within different teams under one big umbrella. So you may be dealing with the branch that covers all the pharmacy stuff. You need to make sure that your authorized representative isn't indicated there. You also have to do the same thing with each area of insurance. But as far as the medical appointments, always make sure the HIPAA form is signed and the right people are indicated so they can share information. But then also make sure your authorized representatives have been set up. And that way they can call and ask questions, not only attend the appointments and receive information, but I can't tell you how many times I have to be the one to call and ask the questions to do the follow up. Just had to call the cardiologist today and they can't talk to you if your parent hasn't indicated you as an authorized rep. So it's extremely important that you get those pieces set up. And it seems very repetitive, but if those aren't set up and set up every year, they will not be able to share anything or answer any questions even about billing.
[00:17:57] Speaker C: And that will be the same for telemedicine as it is for in person. Right? So definitely having those together and then anything else that we should be taking with us. So we've got that stuff set aside. We make sure we've got those power of attorney side. I will note, too, sometimes dealing with the insurance side, there's a finance touch to that, and they're going to look for you as you're dealing with it, to have that financial capability to deal with medical finance. Right.
Or won't talk to you about the bill and work across it that way. It can be mandating, but just prepping these things, again, preparation ahead of time sounds like just a lot of key to making those things go well.
[00:18:38] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Trust me, they know who I am. They're like, oh, no, here she comes. When I'm bringing in one of my parents for appointment, because I'm ready with the questions. And I usually have a question around billing, I usually have a question around something, but they actually appreciate it. I always think that I probably annoy them all, but I think they usually appreciate people who come more prepared and it does help them figure out a solution or figure out an answer a little bit easier, too.
[00:19:09] Speaker C: Well, and I can say if you're having a difficult time working with a loved one and getting through this, maybe you're really emotionally, maybe it's something that emotionally bothers you to watch your loved one go through.
This might be a really good time to look into having a healthcare advocate start to tackle some of those things. If you're having a difficult time communicating clearly with a doctor, you get in an adversarial conversation or something gets ugly from that. Again, don't be afraid to call in the cavalry, or this might be a good opportunity to have a professional that can come into it without that emotion. Not saying that the emotion is definitely not warranted. You got your emotion. Your emotion is there for a reason off of that. But being able to choose that person who can help you communicate most effectively and being okay if that's not you, it can be okay if that's not you finding the people that are out there that can do that, it seems like that's exactly something that you guys are there to be able to do for families if they're struggling with that, too.
[00:20:07] Speaker A: No, that's exactly right.
That's what we want to do and help families who don't have someone that can do that. Or maybe the adult children are living out of town and they can't physically be at those appointments. So we hope to provide that kind of support. And what I will say is this, as a practitioner myself, whenever someone would bring in an advocate. Early on in my career, everybody gets nervous when there's someone there that they're not.
And it's how you choose to work with them. And what we choose to do is to work with the healthcare professionals. And I've gone in and sat in on meetings, care plan meetings with families who have someone in skilled rehab or in a skilled nursing. And I cannot tell you, I don't even go in and say, I'm a speech language pathologist. I just have the family introduce me. And this is our advocate that's just sitting in as an extra pair of ears. There's just something about having someone else in there that's listening sometimes that makes everybody else stand up and go, oh, I guess we really need to be careful and make sure that we're advocating in the best way for this member. So sometimes not all, but sometimes it does help the staff that you're working with, too, to think, okay, well, they're taking this seriously.
[00:21:26] Speaker C: Yeah, well. And nothing else, unfortunately.
[00:21:28] Speaker A: Fortunately, not all families do.
[00:21:29] Speaker C: Right. Well, or to slow the game down. Right. It is fast. There is a churn and they are just like any of us in our workplace. It can be easy to get caught up in the run of the workplace. Right. And so having that other person there kind of check up, it's something different. It causes people to be aware of what are going on. They're looking to the left and right, and that could be a good thing, not even an adversarial thing. So don't be afraid of that. It really can be seen as just that.
[00:21:56] Speaker A: No, exactly.
[00:21:57] Speaker C: It breaks up the mundane. It breaks up the routine a bit, gets people to pay attention. Well, I want to take a quick break real fast and hear when we come back from the break, we're going to break down in a follow up, managing that family calendar of appointments, some ideas, and being able to work through all of that, as well as how do you prepare for that emergency and that er visit that might pop up. What stuff do you have on standby so you can go in the split of the moment? Stay tuned for the parent projects podcast. We'll be right back after this message.
Hey, welcome back. This week we have Julie Stover with advocacy, aging and healthcare consultants out of the Wichita, Kansas, if you happen to be the Wichita, Kansas market. But we're tackling from healthcare advocacy as families and how do we help manage our parents'doctors appointments? How do we set that up and put everybody in the best place to really help mom and dad have that voice for themselves. Julie, again, thanks for joining us on the podcast today.
Really, what I want to make that corner and come home in happens for a couple of things. A just the calendar of planning. Now we're going to get into the practicality of some of those things, some tips about managing. You have some great stuff about how I picked out of that. I heard what you were saying and keeping a running log of just what we have for those medical conditions. We're just adding these events onto it in that log for us to keep up to date. Don, having our medications documented ahead of time again, starting earlier than often, and preparing for it. How about managing a family calendar? What are some of the points to really be thinking about that when you're dealing with maybe multiple hands that are in the pot for this, helping mom advocate for herself or dad advocate for himself as they get up there.
[00:23:48] Speaker A: So I will just be honest with you. This is a work in progress all the time, even with my own parents. But we have found some things that have helped, and I've worked with a lot of patients in the past who have, obviously, they're dealing with these things, too, from family members and memory issues to just whatever the reason may be. So I think, thankfully, technology is adding things all the time. What we have found is two things. One that's extremely basic and one that thankfully we have smartphones, so there's different family calendar apps that are out there. And my parents are technology challenged, so I have to find the most user friendly one that's out there. But I can go in and put in their appointments because I would say as my parents are aging, that is the hardest thing for them to remember. And because there's so many appointments that come up, sometimes you go through waves, I feel like. And so sometimes there's more. And so we use a family calendar app that sends them reminders all the time. And you can even use your Google calendars and share those. It's something that's simple. But the other thing that's really basic is we have dry erase boards and we have a couple of them throughout the house. And so one thing that I do, or I encourage other people to do is if memory is an issue or just keeping track of things, we put visual reminders around all the time. And so whether it is reminding about pills and bills is what we refer to it in our house, but also just reminders of appointments, things like that.
And there's one that's right when they're going out the door, and there's one right when they're walking into their bedroom. And so those are the two places they have to hit every day almost. So I think it's hard for parents, it's hard to be the adult child and feel like how my, especially for those adult children who have their own families, you're tracking your own families calendars and then your parents, too. And so you have to find a way that's going to be able to help you navigate through those appointments. But then also make sure that you're not overlapping as well, because as I said, it goes in waves. And at least with my parents in the last year, they never seem to be able to do things one at a time. It always ends up that they're doing everything all at the same time. So in order to maintain my sanity, we use a family calendar app. And then we also have visual reminders all the time in the house.
[00:26:31] Speaker C: Well, some principles that we see there, just the same way that we get fatigued from that they get fatigued as well. You get get into the car, getting ready, getting prepared for and so having.
Sometimes it makes sense. You're like, okay, I'm going to squeeze all of this and I'm going to fly in. We're getting them all done Thursday and Friday. We've got Saturday and Sunday. I got to fly back out and I'm headed back to where I'm going, particularly for out of state. And that makes me really rough.
Thursday and Friday as it comes up in the back to back to back and you really don't have a lot of room. In fact, the pressure turns on if you've grouped them together that way, by the time you're getting to Friday, if they're really getting tired, you don't have that leeway. So giving yourself that space and giving them, I think that space and the planning is a good thing and having it visualized out there. I really like that idea outside the bedroom as well as by the front door as things come through for your pills and bills side, the bedroom is a great one. Going to bed at night. It is amazing how the effect that can have in clearing a conscience of I'm going to go to bed and tomorrow morning this is what I'm going to face, or this is what's coming at that I see where that thing can be.
It helps us feel good at what we're going to do tomorrow, to have that thought. That's not going to change. As we get a little bit older, we see that continue. So love those recommendations.
One other thing I wanted to point out in what you were saying there that I know we've worked with, especially in parent projects, which obviously has a medical calendar and messaging and works for these things for the and stuff. So a little bit of self promotion, I guess, off of that side. But I think what's most important there is you talked about that information of that you guys would enter that information for them and then they can see the calendar appointment. Thinking about how each person is going to interact with technology is important. So in selecting what that is, if they're overwhelmed where that is, but all they really need to do is know when the calendar is coming up, look for a good application that's going to communicate to them just when things are, and allow them the ability to see if there's somebody who needs to see a week in advance. Awesome. If they're just somebody who needs to be in the moment and know what's happening at me today, think through that. What level of detail do you show? Well, think about what they can handle. Maybe they don't need to.
Maybe you could hold some of that down in the notes or in another place and those things, but gauge that family member, and I would say, ask them what they really want to know and then give them what they're asking for and continue to. If they ask for more, then add that more in there, but play at that side of ease, especially when we're talking about technology. But I liked how you talked about that when things came up. That's fantastic. On the family calendars and stuff. Okay, so look, here's the one you can't plan for, or maybe you can, right?
That is that er visit. And talk to me about that.
This is the only time you're going to see me smile about it. And that's because after that, thank God we survived it.
I didn't see that coming. And it's always the thing, the individual incidents, the thing you didn't see coming, right. The ones you thought might come down, those are easy to prepare for. But what can you do to prepare at home? What are you guys telling people and working with families with to prepare ahead of an ER visit so that they can handle it most effectively? And maybe, let's start with if you're available, maybe you're there. You live within a short drive distance so you can be there for it.
And then maybe you could talk about that if you're not, if you're remote, having to deal with that.
[00:30:22] Speaker A: If you're there, or even if you're doing this to prepare for your parents. Because if you're remote and you can't go there with them, then they need to have this. But one thing that I always have ready, and I've always encouraged people that I've worked with to do is you always have a packet. I mean, I literally walk around with a packet of information all the time. If I'm going somewhere or ready to go with my parents, that's ready for doctors appointments and ready for ER visits. So what that means is have the same type of stuff that we talked about for your doctor's visits, because, quite frankly, your doctor visits are going to be, hopefully, with a familiar doctor. So you may not have to regurgitate all the same information all the time. An ER visit, you may go to the same location, but in most cases, you're going to be dealing with an entirely different staff every time.
The only exception to that is if you're going to an ER within the same hospital system every single time, that's going to have all of your information together. But don't assume that they're going to look at everything. So some of the same things that we talked about for a doctor visit, make sure you have a health history along with everything that's happened recently.
Same thing, any type of accidents, any type falls. They're always going to ask about falls if there's been any recent falls. And so that's probably a whole nother conversation about how to talk to your parents about those.
But you've got to have that information because a lot of times they don't share.
[00:32:06] Speaker C: Yeah, I'll throw it in for the levity of it all. I remember having a client that they had had a whole issue on a fall where he had fallen out in the dining room, couldn't get up. She ends up finally finding him falls, trying to help him get up. They both get stuck on the ground, and it isn't until a fire starts in the kitchen that he musters that a panic energy that rolls himself over and he's able to get up and to work through all of that. And what they really wanted to tell me about it was that the kids never found out. And, I mean, they just giggled beside themselves. Funny about that. And I'm like, man, what? It gets kept from me. So creating. How do you create that?
It's like an art and a science of creating the safe space for your parents to tell you that stuff so you could be prepared at that moment. And maybe this is a good one, saying, hey, in the case of an ER visit, they're going to ask us this, can you write it in your squirrel place and let me know where to get it when I need it or what.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: It's so hard because from what I've experienced so far, when they admit they've had a fall, that's saying, oh, no, one more nail in my coffin. One more nail in you thinking, I can't do things on my own or I can't do things independently. So it is a consistent conversation. I thought in my own situation, I thought it might get easier because one of my family members had a change in medication and was put on a different blood thinner. And so literally, anytime that family member has a fall, we get to go to the ER because we have to have a ct scan to make sure there's no internal bleeding. And I thought, well, maybe now I'll find out. But it doesn't.
They don't want that independence taken away. And so for me, it's a constant conversation of explaining why this is important and how telling me is going to actually help them maintain their independence so that we can provide more information to the medical professionals, because if they don't know what hasn't happened, they can't help and they can't look for the problem. So that's how I position it is.
If I don't know, we can't find out if there's something wrong, and then something goes, we don't see it or we don't find out about it, or we don't get a ct or an x ray or whatever, and then it could become something worse. So that's how I combat that issue. It doesn't always work, but it does help occasionally. But with ers, if you have the luxury of going to an ER that's within the same hospital system that you go to, it is a little easier.
But again, make sure you have all that information, your medical history, your pharmacy information. And one thing I didn't mention before about the pharmacy list, I actually, at the bottom, and anytime there is a change or they've discontinued a medication or put it on hold, I move it to the bottom of the list and gray it out because they may have a question at an ER visit, at a hospital visit or at a doctor visit saying, have they taken this drug or have they had any issues with this drug when they took this? And so I keep that information on our drug list, but I make sure that they understand it's discontinued because they may go in and maybe they've had a fall and they're in pain and they go ahead and give them a pain medication, but they had a reaction to that last time. Well, I've got that information on my sheet, so having that type of information is helpful.
Have insurance information and again, have that POA. So having that packet of information that has all the medical history, the medications and the history of the medications, any type of financial arrangements, medical POA, anything like that, that just needs to be ready in a folder to go with you anytime or with that parent anytime they go, so that you can just walk in and hand that to them. That's very helpful. But unfortunately, preparing your family member that they are going to have to regurgitate a lot of information, and that's just part of it because you're dealing with new staff.
But what I will say is do not be afraid to make sure that they've understood and that they've understood what your concerns are and why you're there that day. A lot of times they're in a hurry, too. They're trying to get people in and out of that ER so quickly, and there's so many other things going on, and a lot of times, depending on what the issue is, the seniors sometimes get moved into a room really fast, depending on what the issue is, but they're wanting to move them out or move them up to the hospital as soon as possible and setting expectation. There's nothing that drives, I'm sure, anyone as crazy as having to sit in an ER for hours and trying to get that parent to realize, I mean, now what I deal with is my dad doesn't want to tell me anything because he's like, I don't want to have to go sit in that ER for four to 5 hours. So it's just setting those expectations and know that it's just part of what we're doing right now, unfortunately, and being as prepared as possible for those types of visits to help cut down on incorrect information and get to exactly what's needed.
[00:37:40] Speaker C: That's fantastic. Fantastic. Hey, where can our listeners get more information? Or those that are in the Wichita area get more information, Julie, on you and what you're doing?
[00:37:49] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. You can email us right now. We are rebuilding our website right now, so you can reach us via email at
[email protected]. And we're glad to help with whatever we can. At this time.
We don't know everything, but we've had a lot of experience ourselves through the years in helping advocate for seniors and their family members. So please reach out.
[00:38:18] Speaker C: Brilliant. And we will. Obviously, this is a living episode. So if you look down in the show notes down below, we'll put more information. We will update when that new web address comes out. We'll be sure to update that and have that down in the address below. So just check out the comments down below. You can see it if you're looking for the original content off of Facebook or off of Facebook or off of YouTube, you can find that over on parentprojects.com and parent projects podcast.
And from that boy, Julie, that wonderful, wonderful breakdown really appreciated all that. I feel pretty darn prepared at managing my parents doctor's appointments now, so I appreciate you coming in and doing that.
[00:38:53] Speaker A: Absolutely no problem. And one other recommendation, have your packet ready when you're traveling with your parent too. Yes, we've dealt with that one too, so make sure you take that packet with you if you're traveling.
[00:39:05] Speaker C: Okay boy. Again, thank you so much, Julie, for sharing your time, talents and treasures with us here on the Parent projects podcast. Thank you.
[00:39:13] Speaker A: Thank you for having me.
[00:39:19] Speaker B: Well, that's it for the team this week, and thanks for joining us. If you've enjoyed the content, remember to subscribe and to share this episode on the app that you're using right now. Your reviews and your comments, they really help us expand our reach as well as our perspective. So if you have time, also drop us a note. Let us know how we're doing for tips and tools to clarify your parent project, simplify communication with your stakeholders, and verify the professionals that you choose. You can find us on YouTube, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Thanks again for trusting us. Until our next episode. Behold and be held.
[00:39:52] Speaker D: Thank you for listening to this parent projects podcast production. To access our show notes, resources, or forums, join us on your favorite social media platform or go to parentprojects.com.
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