Legal rights: A simple oral or written permission given by the Elder to the doctor/ nurse/ nurse practitioner/ volunteer is sufficient to keep the Elder in the loop. The volunteer might say, “I would like the doctor to be able to tell me if you are seriously ill, so I can visit you.” This encourages the doctor to inform the volunteer if an Elder has been transported to the hospital for X reasons.
(A safe course of action is for you and the person in your care to contact all the doctors’ offices and other medical providers and ask for a copy of their specific HIPAA forms.)
A written version might look like this:
“I, ____________, give permission to share medical information with ________. They may receive all medical information concerning admittance to a medical facility, or a major life shift.”
In this way a pioneer may feel assured only their wishes will be adhered to if unable to express them.
The Limited Power of Attorney: This form can be carried in a wallet with a driver’s license or ID card and should include a trusted helper’s or member’s phone number and information. This Limited Power of Attorney Form is typically designated to be in force only in the case of “unconscious or compromised decision making.”
(By law, it is the doctor who determines if the patient’s decision-making ability is compromised and third party permission is needed.)