Organizing your person’s medical documents can feel overwhelming, but that’s where I come in! 📂After you sign up for my online course, I’ll guide you through how to identify the most relevant documents and get clear on what to pay attention to inside of them. Next, you’ll share your person’s “medical story” (and your personal situation as their decision maker) with me.Then I’ll provide an analysis of what you can expect along with key questions to ask the medical team. As time goes on, I’ll answer questions that pop up for you. Knowing your individual situation means I can personally guide you.Take the first step today and feel more at ease in your caregiving journey. Click the link in my bio to get started!
Feeling unsure about what to ask your person's doctor? Start with this important question: "What are all the care options available for my person?"Follow along for more insights on the essential questions to ask—and find answers to those you're already thinking about. Together, we can help you feel more confident in your caregiving journey. 💙
My top 3 tips for interacting with medical professionals on the behalf of someone living with Dementia:1️⃣ Remind healthcare professionals that your person has dementia. This is crucial and can often be overlooked.2️⃣ Assess their decision-making ability—if you believe they’ve lost the capacity to make decisions, this is something your healthcare team needs to know. 3️⃣ Clarify their overall goal of care—this goal is what you’ll use to make medical decisions that are in their best interest every time. Download your copy of my Dementia Decision-Maker Checklist today! It will help you assess your person's capacity and guide you while considering their goal of care. Click the link in my bio to download now! 📲
Between hospital shifts at the ER, you’ll find me supporting decision-makers for those living with dementia. My goal? To help you feel at peace and make confident medical decisions for your person. 💙 I offer a range of resources, all linked in my bio, for those needing guidance on this journey. 💡 Have questions or interested in getting access to my course? DM me today—I’m here to help! 📩 #dementia #caregiving #healthcare #decisionmaking #patientadvocacy #support
What exactly is capacity? ✨Capacity refers to the ability of a person to be able to make their own decision while understanding the potential consequences. When making medical decisions, a person needs to be able to weigh the pros and cons of treatment options, understand what might happen to them with each choice, and clearly communicate the rationale for their decision.Capacity to make medical decisions may fluctuate, especially in the earlier stages of dementia, but also based on the complexity of the decision we are asking the person to make. Why is your person’s capacity important to assess?When a person with dementia loses the ability to make medical decisions, someone needs to step in as their decision-maker. Recognizing that you will need to step into this role, or are already in it, is necessary to ensure your person receives the care they would choose for themselves.If you're concerned about your person living with dementia’s ability to make decisions and want more help thinking this through, I’ve laid out the steps our brain has to go through in order to make our own medical decisions inside a Checklist for Dementia Decision Maker’s. Assessing capacity is the first thing I recommend you do on the Checklist. You can grab your copy at the link in my bio.💡Then hit reply to the emails I send you and ask me your questions.
I agree with these states’ approach to POLST
In my opinion, offering to discuss goals of care and complete a POLST form should be a requirement for every person living in a care facility.
POLST is too valuable of a tool to not take advantage of.
We know people living in care facilities are at high risk for not being able to choose their care when sick, injured, or living with dementia.
POLST is the best paper based tool we have to communicate a person’s overall goal when it comes to their medical care.
Conversations will never be replaced by a medical order form like POLST, but we’ve all heard of situations where there wasn’t time for conversation and medical decisions were made that people later realized weren’t the right thing.
Washington and Maryland are onto something…
Leave me your comments, questions, and concerns on POLST so I can address them in future videos.
#DementiaDecisions #PhysicianEducator #DementiaCare #CaregiverTips #CarePartner #DementiaCaregiver #DementiaPOA #DementiaCaregiver #MillenialCaregiver #SandwichCaregiver #DementiaEducation #LewyBodyDementia #AlzheimersCaregiver #VascularDementia #FTDementia
How POLST helps when a person wants care focused on their comfort first.
Choosing comfort focused care doesn’t always mean a person is at the end of life.
They may want to stay out of the hospital whenever possible, but at the same time, not meet criteria for hospice.
A POLST form will be helpful because, if and when they do need to come to the ER, we’ll know their goal is to focus care on comfort first.
For some people this could mean less pokes for IVs, more aggressive pain control, tests focused primarily on finding new injuries, or not ordering tests to find new medical issues.
A POLST form is also a helpful tool for people under the care of hospice.
Even though the goal is for hospice patients to stay out of the ER/hospital, sometimes it can not be avoided and ER care is what they need (think about a cut that needs stitches).
Again the POLST form will prompt the ER staff to focus care on comfort.
This could mean not ordering routine protocol orders, reaching out to the hospice team, and calling you much sooner in the process.
Leave your questions on POLST for me here :)
#DementiaDecisions #PhysicianEducator #DementiaCare #CaregiverTips #CarePartner #DementiaCaregiver #DementiaPOA #DementiaCaregiver #MillenialCaregiver #SandwichCaregiver #DementiaEducation #LewyBodyDementia #AlzheimersCaregiver #VascularDementia #FTDementia
How to make sure the POLST is seen
Listen for a few tips on how to make sure a POLST form is seen in real time…
Whether living at home or in a living facility, the POLST form does need to physically go with the person if 911 is called and they are being brought to the ER by an ambulance.
It should also be scanned and uploaded as a part of their hospital medical record.
Keeping a copy on you in your phone and physically (ex: purse, wallet, glovebox) is also wise if you will be advocating or making medical decisions for them.
Have questions on POLST? Leave them here for me.
#DementiaDecisions #PhysicianEducator #DementiaCare #CaregiverTips #CarePartner #DementiaCaregiver #DementiaPOA #DementiaCaregiver #MillenialCaregiver #SandwichCaregiver #DementiaEducation #LewyBodyDementia #AlzheimersCaregiver #VascularDementia #FTDementia
Who should have a POLST form?
Have you heard of the POLST form?
It’s OK if you haven’t. We (healthcare professionals) don’t talk about it enough.
Not to mention, not every state in the US is using it widespread and some call it by a different name.
REGARDLESS of whether or not your state is using it, you should be aware of POLST.
Understanding the language on the national POLST form is a way to communicate your person’s overall goal of care quickly to medical professionals.
POLST can take what has been documented in a LIving Will (or communicated to you directly by your person) and turn that into a form that is actionable to paramedics, nurses, and doctors when making emergency medical decisions.
In my opinion, as an ER physician, this is the best tool we have to quickly communicate a patient’s overall goal of care when they are unable to do so for themselves.
POLST is a valuable tool for a person living with dementia.
Especially in the following circumstances:
1 - If they would no longer want CPR
2 - When they would want to stay out of the intensive care unit.
3 - If the person would want to stay out of the hospital unless they could not be kept comfortable where they’re living.
Leave me your POLST questions here so I can make more content for you.
#DementiaDecisions #PhysicianEducator #DementiaCare #CaregiverTips #CarePartner #DementiaCaregiver #DementiaPOA #DementiaCaregiver #MillenialCaregiver #SandwichCaregiver #DementiaEducation #LewyBodyDementia #AlzheimersCaregiver #VascularDementia #FTDementia
Dementia Myth #3
“Quality of life” (QOL) means different things to each of us.
If you’re making medical decisions for your person living with dementia…
Here’s a MUST DO action for you:
Define what QOL means to them.
The main reason why is stated in this video post.
Let me elaborate a bit further here.
Doctors and other medical professionals can help you choose what the best care or treatment option is when your person can not. That’s our job.
But what we can’t answer/determine for you…
Is what your person would say about the way they’ve been living prior to us needing to make a medical decision for them.
The answer to this question is easier when you know what quality of life means to your person.
A person’s value of QOL, and what it means to them, is the basis for every medical decision.
What questions do you have about this?
Feel free to message me or post them here.
#ReimaginingDementia #ShatteringTheSilence #DementiaCaregiver #DementiaSupport #CaregiverTips #CarePartner #CaregiverSupport #DementiaPOA #SeniorCare #MillennialCaregiver #SandwichCaregiver #DementiaEducation #LewyBodyDementia #AlzheimersCaregiver #AlzheimersDementia #VascularDementia #FTDementia
Not understanding capacity easily leads to stigma towards those living with dementia.
Dementia Myth #2…
Just because a person has been diagnosed with a disease causing dementia does NOT mean they have lost the ability to make their own decisions.
Their “capacity” to do so should be monitored over time, especially when it comes to medical decisions.
Want to listen to me explain this in more detail?
Head to
https://blambmd.com/capacity/ and watch.
Then send me your questions.
#Capacity #ReimaginingDementia #ShatteringTheSilence
#DementiaCaregiver #DementiaSupport #CaregiverTips #CarePartner #CaregiverSupport #DementiaPOA
#SeniorCare #MillennialCaregiver #SandwichCaregiver #DementiaEducation
#LewyBodyDementia #AlzheimersCaregiver #AlzheimersDementia #VascularDementia #FTDementia
Dementia Myth #1
Dementia Myth #1:
Dementia is not a disease itself.
Here are some of the diseases that cause dementia:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Vascular dementia - vascular = blood vessel = disease in brain due to disease of blood vessels ex: due to stroke(s)
- Lewy Body dementia
- Parkinson’s related dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia (This is one physicians might not be as familiar with and has several subtypes. Primary progressive aphasia being one of them.)
- Alcohol related dementia
- Mixed dementia - where there is more than one disease thought to be causing the person’s symptoms
Why is this important?
One, because dementia is not a normal part of aging.
And two, because whenever possible, getting a diagnosis of which disease is most likely to be causing the person’s symptoms can be extremely helpful!
Tell the people who love you, support you, people you meet in the community who seem not to know, and maybe even your person’s doctor(s).
If you have questions about this, leave me a comment or send me a message!
#ShatteringTheSilence #DementiaCaregiver #DementiaSupport #CaregiverTips #CarePartner #CaregiverSupport #DementiaPOA #SeniorCare #MillennialCaregiver #SandwichCaregiver #DementiaEducation #LewyBodyDementia #AlzheimersCaregiver #AlzheimersDementia #VascularDementia
#FTDementia
To come to the ER or not…how do you know what’s best for your person?
To determine whether or not the ER will be helpful to your person we need to know…
1 - What is your person’s overall goal of care?
2 - What is the intention of the stay in the hospital? What are we trying to accomplish?
3 - How is the hospital stay going to benefit your person?
This is how I help clients think through decisions ahead of time inside Make Your Plan with Dr. Lamb.
First, I’ll teach you how to identify your person’s overall goal of care.
Then, I’ll help you figure out your person’s biggest risks (aka the decisions you’ll need to make).
Inside you’ll learn the treatment options for these conditions so you can consider whether they fit with your person’s overall goal of care.
And with lifetime access, you can choose care that fits with their goal now and into the future.
Here’s the link to learn more and enroll:
https://care.blambmd.com/make-a-plan1
#DementiaDecisions #PhysicianEducator #DementiaCare #CaregiverTips #CarePartner #DementiaCaregiver #DementiaPOA #DementiaCaregiver #MillenialCaregiver #SandwichCaregiver #DementiaEducation #LewyBodyDementia #AlzheimersCaregiver #VascularDementia #FTDementia
