5 questions caregivers should ask health care providers

Becoming a caregiver can be joyful and fulfilling, but often caregivers can use support from health care professionals.

If you are a caregiver, here are some caregiver questions you can ask your health care provider (doctor, nurse, PSW, therapist, etc.). They may be able to point you in the right direction or give you the answers and support that would be helpful to you.

Here are 5 questions you can ask health care providers so they can support you in your role as a caregiver:

1. What do you know about my caregiving situation?
2. How can you help connect me with other caregivers who are, or have been, in a similar situation to mine?
3. What can you do to help me build my confidence/ knowledge/skills in the care activities I am doing?
4. What is your individual role? How do you coordinate/communicate with the other providers involved in providing home care to the one I am caring for?
5. How can you help me arrange respite/relief services for me AND/OR day program services for the one I care for so that I/we can take regular breaks from my/our daily routine?

Caregivers asking for help is expected and encouraged. Taking the time to ask these caregiver questions and really reflect on the answers you receive, can provide you with a better understanding of your caregiving situation. That understanding is the first step in seeking out help that is readily available and gives you:

1. The insight into the areas where you may need help
2. And what kind of help is available

Health care providers are there to help you and the person you are caring for. They are knowledgeable resources with first-hand experience in dealing with a variety of caregiving questions and concerns. They understand what you are going through. Caregivers asking questions of their health care providers is necessary in order for caregivers to gain a better understanding of the role caregiving plays in their lives.

In having an open discussion about your particular experience and concerns as a caregiver, it also allows your health care providers to have a better understanding of your specific challenges and issues. This knowledge enables them to provide you with a customized selection of caregiver resources and it may also help direct the care that they provide or can recommend.

These 5 questions outlined above are questions all caregivers should ask their health care providers as these important caregiver questions opens a dialogue that can only benefit you and the person you are caring for.