Talking with professionals

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As a carer, you will need to talk with doctors and other health professionals. You will need to tell them about the person you care for so they can provide the best possible treatment. You will also need to ask questions so you can make decisions and provide the best care.

Before you talk with a health professional

Before talking with a health professional, you should:

  • talk with the person you care for about any questions or concerns that they have about their health
  • ask the person you care for if they want you to go to the appointment with them
  • write down a list of questions that you want to ask. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you think they might be ‘stupid’
  • write down a list of things you want to tell the health professional
  • bring information and documents to appointments (for example, the results of tests)

When you talk with a health professional

When you talk with a health professional, you should:

  • be clear on what you and the person you care for want to achieve
  • take notes of what they say
  • ask them to explain anything that you don’t understand
  • ask if there are any handouts, websites or other places where you can get more information
  • ask who you should contact for more help, if there is something they can’t help with

If you are meeting the professional for the first time, it can be a good idea to take a copy of the Carer Recognition Act, so that they understand your role as someone who can speak for the person you care for.

My Health Record

An online My Health Record collects information about someone’s health, including what conditions they have, what medicines they are taking, and the results of medical tests.

It can be a good idea to make sure the person you care for has a My Health Record. This keeps their health information in one place and lets doctors and other health professionals find it easily.

You should also make sure your doctor adds information to the record. You can talk to your doctor, or any health professional, to ask them to add information to the record.

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