Talking With Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People

How well you and your doctor talk to each other is one of the most important parts of getting good health care. A good patient-doctor relationship is a partnership. You and your doctor can work as a team, along with nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other health care providers.

Taking an active role in your health care puts the responsibility for good communication on both you and your doctor. This is especially important for older people who may have more health conditions and treatments to discuss with the health care team.

This new, revised edition of the National Institute on Aging's popular booklet, Talking with Your Doctor, provides you with helpful worksheets, and offers many tips and suggestions, including:

• Choosing a doctor you can talk to,
• Getting ready for an appointment,
• Giving and getting information,
• Discussing sensitive subjects, and
• Involving family and friends. 

Source: National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health