This morning in Your Caregiving Journey, Viki Kind joined us to discuss her new book, “The Caregiver’s Path to Compassionate Decision Making.” You can listen to our discussion via the player at the bottom of this post.
Viki and I spoke about the five core questions she suggests you ask yourself as you determine how and when to make a decision on behalf of a caree. The questions are:
1. Does the individual have the ability to make his or her own decisions? Does he or she have diminished capacity?
2. If the person is not able to speak for him- or herself, how long will it last?
3. Was the individual able to speak for him- or herself in the past?
4. Who should make the decisions when this person can’t?
5. About how old is the person developmentally? What is his or her mental age?
The goal in making decisions on behalf of a caree is to use your head and your heart.
Viki also discussed her first caregiving experience, for her mom, who suffered a stroke when Viki was 21 years of age. The experience sent Viki on her path toward becoming a clinical bioethicist. Her hope, in writing her book and sharing her knowledge, is to ensure a positive experience for both you and your caree.
Program note: Viki will join us again on July 8 at 1 p.m. CT to help us find the answer to this question: Can we keep a caree safe and still honor his or her definition of quality of life?
