Learn How to Get More Out of Your Health Care Visits
November 5, 2025
Q&A with Chi Chang, MS, APCC, Family Consultant
Have you ever brought the person you care for home from a doctor’s visit or hospitalization, only to realize you still have unanswered questions and unaddressed needs? Our hour-long webinar, “How to Talk to Your Doctor,” hosted by FCA family consultant Chi Chang, will help you and your loved one get all the information and support you need before, during and after your next doctor or hospital visit.
The “How to Talk to Your Doctor” webinar will take place Monday, November 10, 2025, from 10-11am (PT) / 1-2pm ET. Click here to register.
Chi, we’d love to know more about how your webinar, “How to Talk with Your Doctor,” can benefit family caregivers.
I cover three main topics in this webinar: how to prepare for a doctor’s visit or hospital stay, effective communication during the visit and how to improve follow-up care.
The webinar is a direct response to questions coming out of my sessions with family caregivers who want to know more about improving communication with doctors—and receiving more support from the health care system in general. Usually, doctors lead the conversation, which can put the patient and family in the background. If family caregivers are prepared to take more initiative, they can improve outcomes for their caregiving, their family and themselves.
Who would benefit from attending a “How to Talk to Your Doctor” webinar?
Every family caregiver. It’s very hard even just to transfer a patient from home to the doctor’s office, let alone focus on communication with the doctor. Also, when you’re dealing with health care, there are a lot of medical terms. I try to make the information really easy to understand and execute so you can confidently navigate the system.
The webinar promises helpful communication tools for family caregivers who interact with health care providers. Can you share one of those with us now?
Usually, when you meet with a doctor, you only have about 15 minutes. How do you present everything a doctor needs to know that’s happened in the past month, week or year? I teach caregivers how to prepare a care information kit, which details not just what the doctor will see in the visit, but also what they can’t. Examples are sundowning behaviors that are evident only during certain times, or when a patient is triggered by a specific person or situation. How do you decide which are the important questions to ask in a doctor’s appointment? I’ll show attendees how to prepare for that.
It sounds like “How to Talk to Your Doctor” can help family caregivers improve outcomes for both patients and themselves. Is that the case?
Both during and after receiving care, there are services that can support both the patient and you as a caregiver, that you may not know exist. For example, during a hospital stay, you don’t just talk with the doctor. There are discharge planners who help you plan for after the hospital stay, especially if the patient needs ongoing care. Social workers may be available to connect you with additional resources. Some hospitals have or can connect you with home health aides who can help with after-care tasks such as bathing or changing dressings.
Some of these services are also available if you inquire about them during a doctor’s visit. Most of the time, caregivers don’t know about these services. In “How to Talk to Your Doctor,” we want to help make sure the patient gets all the care services they need after their appointment or hospitalization.
Can you talk more about unexpected benefits and pitfalls at the doctor’s office or hospital?
Patients and their families may not know their rights in a health care setting. For example, there are supports for patients who have disabilities, or who need translation services. Often, families don’t ask for them because they don’t know they exist.
Family caregivers of patients with dementia may encounter difficulty when a doctor says they can’t discuss information because of privacy laws. So, you need to make sure you have those legal documents in place before the appointment.
Can you share what you’re most proud of in your work helping family caregivers improve communication with their health care team?
I see family caregivers go from being afraid of asking questions to being familiar with the health care system, aware of their rights, and able to stand up when something is missing. That change is huge, and it’s something I’m very happy to see.