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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Mayors unite to kick off annual ACCESS food campaign East meets west in one-man show Control burn planned Thursday Interim chief talks about the stress of police work Police Reports Education Grade-school philanthropist Ashland, Scenic win Brain Bowl competitions Ten nonprofit proposals get a chance to pitch for support Teacher's Tips: Spring! Time for standarized testing Schneider Children's Center set to close Environment Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Adjustments, contributions keep Mt. Ashland on course Rarely seen Pacific fisher to have prominent spot Students at Walker Elementary School in Ashland get hands dirty for Earth Day Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Business Harry & David weighs down 1-800-Flowers during latest quarter Adjustments, contributions keep Mt. Ashland on course Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland to host Thanks for the Memories' 'Company' for one night Cars We Remember: Mr. Hot Rod’s 1966 Chevelle 396 Ride & Drive: 2015 Ford F-150 FX4 Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Council wants changes to agreement with ODOT for I-5 welcome center Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable State News Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Death Notices Edward Joseph Pentkowski Death Notices Kenneth Lee Barger Tanner Pascoe Shareable Sports Latest Stories Penn, Norvell, Baldrica pace Ashland track team at Crater Oregon coaches, players ready to 'split up and play' Baseball: Controversy may be blooming over Pete Rose Blazers stay alive Fourteen Raiders earn CCC academic honors High school Penn, Norvell, Baldrica pace Ashland track team at Crater Two Raiders place seventh in CCC Multis Neal, Reitman lead SOU at multi-event championships Ashland Karate Academy racks up trophies in Medford Ashland drops eight-inning pitchers' duel Southern Oregon University Oregon coaches, players ready to 'split up and play' Fourteen Raiders earn CCC academic honors Two Raiders place seventh in CCC Multis Neal, Reitman lead SOU at multi-event championships SOU's Maguin pockets fourth CCC honor Voices Latest Stories Our View: Don't ignore ballot Editor's Notes: A Day in the Life Letters to the Editor, April 30 Granlund cartoon: Earthquake in Nepal Our View: Ski area slips by Editorial Our View: Don't ignore ballot Our View: Ski area slips by Our View: Child care conundrum Our View: Fun with university funding formulas Our View: Passion vs. practicality spelled demise of Ashland theater company Letters Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Letters to the Editor, April 28 Letters to the Editor, April 27 Letters to the Editor, April 25 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: A good day to act Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Columns Editor's Notes: A Day in the Life Council Corner: Strategic plan sets goals for city Chris Honoré: Things for which there are simply no satisfactory explanations Herb Rothschild Jr.: 'Right to rest' misguided Guest Opinion: A good day to act Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Movie listings: May 1-7 Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Five picks for entertainment this week 'Ex Machina' captivates with style, big questions Community blog: Cut up that poetry Theater Ticket Availability East meets west in one-man show Backstage: Ashland Film Festival programmer Feinberg played major role in its success Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland to host Thanks for the Memories' 'Company' for one night Ticket Availability Music Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour The Farr Side: Slow disappearance of physical music On TV: Your guide to the Academy of Country Music Awards The Farr Side: Intriguing time on the Hot 100 Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie listings: May 1-7 'Ex Machina' captivates with style, big questions Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more 2015 summer movie preview Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories 5 Things to Do This Weekend (May 1-3) Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Donna Knight: Alzheimer’s brings challenges In Good Faith: Baltimore’s burst bubble Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Don't ignore ballot ... Ashland Calendar, Thursday, April 30 ... Ticket Availability ... Our View: Don't ignore ballot ... Ashland Calendar, Thursday, April 30 ... Ticket Availability ... AGING HAPPENS Aging Happens: Communicate with your doctors about dementia Comment By Ellen Waldman DailyTidings.com By Ellen Waldman Posted Apr. 26, 2015 at 12:02 PM By Ellen Waldman Posted Apr. 26, 2015 at 12:02 PM » Social News I still have relatives who live back east. My 86-year-old uncle has been having serious memory issues for some years now. I spoke to his wife, my aunt, and asked her if anyone has diagnosed him yet. This was after she told me he’s taking a well-known dementia medication. She said, "What’s to diagnose? It’s old age.” You should know this is not a natural part of old age; it’s a disease. But sometimes, a doctor does not actually give their patient and their family the diagnosis. I also know how helpful and important it is to have this correctly noted, so preparations and education can begin. I once sat in the exam room with a person who had moderate dementia. He could no longer self-report on his health or other problems. The doctor asked him if he was sleeping well, and he said he was. I respectfully said to my client, his patient, that I had heard that he was up quite a bit at night and perhaps he was not sleeping that well. The doctor’s reply was, “Well, I have one yes and one no.” Hopefully, doctors understand that the information given to them by the patient may in fact be less than accurate. We sure don’t want to contradict or argue with the person who has cognitive impairment. Providing an accurate report without embarrassing or contradicting the person with dementia in front of their doctor is key. There is now a better way to be able to do this. Most local doctor’s offices and medical centers are now set up with patient portals. This is the online system you may be familiar with called the Epic system. The purpose is to have all medical information in the electronic medical record or EMR. Providence has their version of this called mychart/providence.org and Asante has one called asante.org/MyChart. Next time you’re at your doctor’s office, sign up for this. You can read your reports, get lab results, schedule appointments and, most importantly for this topic, send information about the person with dementia to the provider. When you arrive, they will have read your questions, concerns and the current status report. This way, the family or caregiver can provide the needed information behind the scenes. Before the use of these patient portals, I would fax a letter to the medical assistant or nurse to report on the client’s status. I would ask that the doctor read it before coming into the exam room. If your physician is still not hooked up with the online MyChart access, or another patient portal, this is the best route to take. It makes a big difference to have an accurate account ahead of time. On the Alzheimer’s website, you will find articles about communicating with your physician. One is called “Working with the Doctor” (www.alz.org/care/dementia-doctor-patient-communication.asp). There is also a brochure called the “Principles for a Dignified Diagnosis” that offers these guidelines for physicians. You might assume that all providers are conscious of and comfortable with these recommendations, but it may not be the case. Here are a few suggestion from the brochure. You can find the rest online: 1. Talk to me directly, the person with dementia. (I will add that if they are more advanced in the disease, they may not be able to fully understand. Still, no one wants to be ignored.) 2. Tell the truth. (Although it’s not as common, one physician would not tell their patient they had dementia. He felt he didn’t want them to lose hope. It’s recommended that people be told and allow for hope to come in another form, such as good quality of life care.) 3. Give me tools for living with this disease. (A good idea, but I would not expect doctors to know all the local resources. For that info, call the Medford Alzheimer’s office, 541-772-2230, or check the website online.) Communication in all directions is so vital for good medical care. With a dementia diagnosis, there are some ways that are more effective than others. Educate yourself first, and then ask your physician to participate in this dialogue with you. It’s allows for a much better outcome for everyone. Ellen Waldman is a certified geriatric care manager. Email questions about aging and Ashland-area aging resources and column suggestions to her at [email protected].   By Ellen Waldman DailyTidings.com By Ellen Waldman Posted Apr. 26, 2015 at 12:02 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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