How can physicians support caregivers?

Q – How can BC physicians help patients and their supporters/caregivers?

The most common response we hear is that physicians need to learn about Representation Agreements. This will ease the burden on caregivers and most important, helps the patient. Read our feedback to Doctors of BC – first link under Get Informed at the end of this article.

Nidus was interested to learn that Doctors of BC (formerly the BCMA, a voluntary association for physicians who practice in BC) recently announced a campaign to emphasize caregivers’ needs. As we wrote in our letter to Alan Ruddiman, president of Doctors of BC, their initiative harkens back to the many discussions we had during the development of the Representation Agreement Act (starting in 1989).

One of the drivers for Representation Agreements, supported unanimously by the legislature, was to give legal status to family and friends (caregivers) when dealing with the health and residential care systems – because they were not valued or listened to as advocates for the adults they supported.

The Doctors of BC has produced a Tool Kit for Physicians to Support Family Caregivers. While the sentiment is to be applauded, the tool kit shows significant gaps in understanding about BC’s health care consent legislation and Representation Agreements – the legally enforceable planning document in BC for health and personal care matters. The Tool Kit seems to focus on treating caregivers as patients, rather than listening to caregivers as advocates.

Nidus has invited the Doctors of BC to meet with us and our Practice Advisory Group, which is comprised of legal, community and other experts who volunteer their time and expertise to be a resource to various sectors and disciplines on implementation of the BC’s health care consent and planning legislation.

Collaboratively, we can ensure adults/patients and caregivers have accurate, up-to-date and independent information about their rights and responsibilities in health care decision making.

GET INFORMED

Click to read the Nidus review of the Doctors of BC Tool Kit.

Click to read more information on BC’s legislation for Health Care Consent.

Watch videos about Representation Agreements and how to make a legally enforceable document for health and personal care – at Nidus YouTube channel.

The Parkinson Society BC uses the term ‘care partners’ -this indicates the reciprocity that is part of caring relationships! Click to read their Viewpoints newsletter and article on Personal Planning.