Category: Advance Directives

Three Documents You Need… For Your Parents and Your College-Age Children

posted March 2016 by Dianne Savastano

HIPAA Release Form Recently, my friend Kathy encountered a frustrating experience with her step-mother who had fallen and was in the emergency room facing a decision about surgery. Kathy lives several states away and when she called the ER, the professionals she encountered were reluctant to share any information until they asked her step-mother for… Read on…

The Importance of Difficult Conversations

posted December 2014 by Dianne Savastano

I have worked with Mr. P. for the past three years. Like many older adults, he lives with multiple chronic medical conditions, including diabetes and dementia. He is no longer able to walk or transfer without being lifted and is fortunate to live at home with a 24-hour, live-in caregiver. He was hospitalized approximately 20… Read on…

Making the Best of HIPAA

posted September 2013 by Dianne Savastano

Maybe you’ve had this experience: As you are evaluated and/or treated for a new health condition, at every juncture, you are asked for the same information over and over again. In addition, you are asked to sign forms about privacy protection and/or release of protected information, most of which you don’t fully read or understand… Read on…

How to Manage an Unplanned Hospital Visit

posted July 2013 by Dianne Savastano

One of the biggest challenges with managing communication during a hospital admission is the lack of a standard set of operating procedures across hospitals (or even units, within a given hospital). This means that whether you are physically present or not, you’ve got to first establish how the unit functions and then ask the same… Read on…

Be the Leader of Your Own Healthcare

posted December 2009 by Dianne Savastano

As I continue to listen to the debate about healthcare reform, the more I’m convinced that these changes will require each one of us to take a much more active role in our healthcare. In my work, one of the first things I do with clients is teach them how to confidently assume a leadership… Read on…