Including Families and Caregivers

"What would you like your family to know?"

Family and informal caregivers play an important role in the lives of their loved ones. They also play an increasingly important role in how the health care system functions. By communicating effectively with all the individuals involved in your patient's care, you can help him or her while making efficient use of time and resources. Informal caregivers may be important "informants." They can also help to reinforce the importance of information you give or the treatment you prescribe. When a companion is present, be aware of communication issues that arise in three-party interactions. Too often, the conversation may be directed at the companion and not at the patient; in some cases, the encounter can become a "two against one" match, which no one really wins. Whenever possible, try to sit so that you form a triangle and can address both the patient and companion face-to-face.

To protect and honor patient privacy, be sure to check with the patient on how he or she sees the companion's role. In many cases, the caregiver or companion can be a facilitator, helping the patient express concerns and reinforcing what you say. But it is best not to assume that a companion should be included in the medical encounter. First, check with the patient. Conducting the physical exam alone protects the patient's privacy and allows you to raise sensitive issues. The best time to conduct a "mini-mental" exam is during a private exam, so that a family member cannot answer questions or cover for the patient's cognitive lapses.

Families may want to make decisions for a loved one. Adult children especially may want to step in for a parent who has cognitive impairments. If a family member has been named the health care agent or proxy, under some circumstances, he or she has the legal authority to make care decisions. However, without this authority, the patient must make his or her own choices. Try to set clear boundaries with family members, and encourage others to respect them.
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Deconstructing the Digital Era

Senator Ted Stevens thinks the internet is a "series of tubes." George W. Bush believes there are internets galore out there. And John McCain...well, the Senator has admitted that he doesn't even know how to use a computer. Politics in the digital era is tricky, not so much because of the wealth of information on the web, but because of the millions of ordinary Americans using that information on a daily basis. Armed with new media tools, muckrackers today number in the millions. No longer is a candidate able to present a poll-tested package to the press and have that persona spoon-fed to the American people. No, today's voters have available to them a universe of information consisting of detailed voting records, primary sources, debunking sites, blogs, and more.
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Including Families and Caregivers

Family and informal caregivers play an important role in the lives of their loved ones. They also play an increasingly important role in how the health care system functions. By communicating effectively with all the individuals involved in your patient’s care, you can help him or her while making efficient use of time and resources. Informal caregivers may be important “informants.” They can also help to reinforce the importance of information you give or the treatment you prescribe.
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Warning Signs That 401(k) Contributions Are Being Misused

Increasingly employees are asked to make voluntary or mandatory contributions to pension and other benefit plans. This is particularly true for 401(k) savings plans. These plans allow you to deduct from your paycheck a portion of pretax income every year, invest it and pay no taxes on those contributions until the money is withdrawn at retirement. Is your plan being misused?
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Reporting Phone Fraud

Many phone sales pitches are made on behalf of legitimate organizations offering genuine products and services. Unfortunately, scammers also use the telephone to commit fraud. That's why the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) encourages you to be skeptical when you hear a phone solicitation and to report it if you think the call may be fraudulent. Your complaint counts! Fight telephone fraud. Report telephone scam artists to the FTC and to your state Attorney General. When you report fraud to the FTC, your complaint is entered into a secure database that is available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. By reporting telemarketing fraud, you are providing important information to help law enforcement officials track down scam artists and stop them.
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