Our parents still live at home and the care aide takes them to doctor's appointments as needed. Issue is they do not write the results down or tell family. They only care for each parent 8 hours a week. My parent's memory is bad. I am enduring POA and still do medical treatment on wounds etc the other hours of the week. Doctors surgery says well you should come with him & won't give information to me, POA? I work a job and can't get time off for this. What are my options?
With POA, I would use a lawyer. Your parents need to be present so the lawyer can ask them questions. Then they sign off and it is witnessed, in my situation, by the secretary. I would not trust anyone with a downloaded form. When I received my nephews at the age of 20, the lawyer spoke to him privately before he would allow my nephew to assign me. Later my nephew told me that the lawyer asked if he was being coearsed and did he trust me to handle his finances and make his medical decisions. A notary can not determine if someone is cognitive. They only make sure the person signing has provided proof they are who they say they r.
2. Most doctors now are affiliated with an online service (like Iris) and you can find all information just by logging on. Call the doctor's office and find out how to do this.
The patient portal is a great way to get accurate info.
You can refill medications through the portal as well as ask their providers questions, etc. It may be a gray area as far as HIPPA but if you have their permission to set up the acct for them it may be ok.
The aides should not be sharing confidential medical information with family members, again, without your parents' express consent. Shouldn't stop them writing down results, I agree... But quite honestly you'd do better to get those direct from the doctor anyway, for the sake of accuracy.
I remember taking my parents to the primary doctor, I usually got back to back appointments since I had to take time off, anyway. I would go into the exam room with both parents. Afterwards on the way home, my parents would sit in the back seat and discuss their doctor appointment. After listening to them, was I at the same appointment they were??? Both of them had things so mixed up. Oh dear.
Once my Dad had a regular daily caregiver, she was more than happy to drive Dad to his doctor. She would go into the exam room and introduce herself as the "caregiver". After getting Dad back home, she would call me to discuss the appointment.
It all depends on the caregiver and if she/he is comfortable with doctor appointments.