Conversations are the ‘glue’ of our humanity. I often consider the ones I have and evaluate them on their quality. Some are meant to be fun, some have a deeper purpose. Either way, engagement and understanding are my keys to a successful conversation!
Recently, eCareDiary and I began a collaboration on BlogTalkRadio.com called “Caregiver and Physician Conversations” with a central purpose--creating meaningful conversations between caregivers, their patients and families and health care professionals. The response is staggering and the need larger than we realized.
As the host of the show, I interview guests who provide information and sometimes we demonstrate those tips with a simulated conversation. Then we open the phone lines for interaction with our listeners.
We’ve discovered that both parties, family and professional caregivers, make assumptions about the other. Strategies for communication are needed by both family and professional caregivers. For example, doctors worry about how to give bad news while caregivers assume that doctors don’t want to take time because they often appear to be in a hurry.
We launched the show in January and in both January- February, I interviewed Dr. John Guarneri, who established the Department of Spirituality and Healthcare at Florida Hospital. Dr. Guarneri will be our lead physician, returning to the program every few months. In February, we discussed the topic, “Finding Quality Time With The Doctor”. We were deluged with feedback, so you can be certain we will return to this topic!
In March, I am interviewing Dr. Maria Gonzalez, an amazing physician who is practicing in a multicultural community and teaching residents the dynamics and challenges when patients speak English as a second language. In April, we will be interviewing Edward Leigh, a communications expert for physicians. We have a full schedule from May on planned as well with topics such as “Evaluating Your Hospital” and “Conversations With Physician Extenders”.
Collaboration is a key theme emerging in much of our conversation. Many caregivers, both family and professional, want meaningful collaboration but don’t know quite how to achieve it. We’ll be exploring all the dynamics of collaborative conversation, including all the barriers and forces in the environment that can work against it.
Another emerging theme is caregivers aren’t always aware of the power they have and how they can change the tone of a conversation. Often, caregivers are reluctant to state their needs. For example, “I need more of your time today. Can we talk now or can I call later?” is a conversation tool every caregiver needs to remember and use because these words can change the direction of an unsatisfactory discussion to a meaningful conversation.
Finally, another major theme or observation is that emotions and spirituality are rarely discussed. Patients want more attention to this area of their lives, and research backs them up. (Most research notes that at least 75-80% of patients want some attention to their spiritual and emotional needs while only 10% of physicians are aware of those needs. Harold G. Koening, M.D., “Spirituality In Patient Care”, Templeton Foundation Press, 2007.) We will be exploring why our culture spends so little time and what all of us can do to meet the needs.
I am most grateful to eCareDiary for sponsoring this critical forum for family and professional caregivers and look forward to the journey of learning how, working together, we can create more meaningful conversations.
Margery Pabst is the co-author of “Enrich Your Caregiving Journey”, Winner of the “2010 Caregiver Friendly Award” given by Today’s Caregiver Magazine. The book has over 130 specific tips and tools for making the caregiving journey as enriching one. You can find out more about Margery and the book at www.pivotalcrossings.com.
