Learn how to
Trust Yourself
when making medical decisions
For Someone You Love
Living with Dementia
with Brittany Lamb, MD
Choose the best possible care for your person
Make medical decisions with confidence
Feel seen, heard, and understood by medical professionals
Making medical decisions for your person living with dementia and knowing in your gut you’re doing what is best
IS POSSIBLE!
A letter from me, Dr. Lamb, to you, the decision-maker for your person,
Medical decision making is second nature to me, I've been an ER physician since 2014, but I see what you're up against. Here's what I want you to realize...
You are capable of choosing on their behalf and feeling good about it. What you're missing is access to information.
Your person's doctor doesn't have the time it takes to teach you what you need to know about your person's future in 15-30 minute office visits.
And if they no longer come to the hospital to care for patients, they may not see the need to prioritize helping you think what's most likely to happen.
You don't need to carry around worry about the future once you're informed and have thought through the most likely decisions you face.
I can’t stress this enough...YOUR happiness and quality of life matter too.
You're likely juggling a lot.
It wouldn't surprise me if you're neglecting your own needs.
Putting this part of your life as a decision-maker in order will help you stop jeopardizing your own well-being and instead help you be a much better advocate for your person.
With knowledge and a process to follow, we can free up more of your mental space.
If you've been frustrated by the lack of support and guidance available, you're not alone. The healthcare system is failing decision-makers. I see it every shift I work.
Both in understanding and addressing the needs of your person living with dementia, but also connecting YOU to what YOU need as their advocate.
This is a setup for constant second-guessing and lingering stress.
Business interests have created huge time constraints. Protocol-driven approaches to care can easily harm a person living with dementia.
They (just like everyone else) deserve personalized, well thought out, medical decisions.
There are so many decisions to make. Fires to put out.
It’s easy to feel there’s no time or energy to think ahead.
Sacrificing your sleep, happiness, and wellness out of love for them is an honorable thing, but living in reactive mode is not the only way.
As a medical decision-maker for your loved one living with dementia, you need a process to follow.
Waiting to see what happens leads to emotionally based decisions, regret, and second guessing.
Decisions you will have to live with. It's emotional to make someone else's decisions. I understand if you feel overwhelmed or don't know where to start.
But there is another path to consider!
Constant worry about your person's future doesn't have to be your new normal...
Together, we can prevent unnecessary stress, identify your person’s unique risks, and think through your decisions so you can be set up to choose treatments that line up with their goals and values now and into the future.
All you need is a simply laid out process so you can take control over this part of your life through step-by-step actions.
Here’s how we’ll accomplish this
together
Access a self-paced, online program, that will teach you all the essentials when it comes to making your person's medical decisions.
Once you sign up you'll never lose access to it.
Module 1: Understand what it really means to be a Medical Decision Maker practically speaking. Including when you can speak for them and how to set yourself up for success.
Module 2: Necessary mindset shifts, time sensitive actions, and resources you’ll need along the way.
Module 3: How to set a goal of care. This is the foundation for every medical decision you will make now and into the future.
Module 4: The step-by-step framework for making any medical decision.
Module 5: Medical issues your person is at risk for just because they are living with dementia. How they are diagnosed, treated, look different in dementia, and the questions you need to ask.
Module 6: Common medical emergencies we are all at risk for and how to handle them when a person is living with dementia.
Module 7: Ways to recognize your person is critically ill (very sick) and how to navigate and think through hospital based care.
Module 8: Practical tools and services to help you advocate and care for your loved one. Covering palliative care vs hospice, medical order forms (DNR, POLST) etc.
I will review your person’s medical history, so I can explain their greatest medical risks, recommend questions you need to ask their care team, note the medications you need to pay attention to, and share personalized guidance.
Focus your time by identifying the next or most important medical decisions you will most likely have to make on your person’s behalf
What medical conditions your person is most at risk for based on their medical history
What you need to know about your person’s current medications. (Risks, side effects to look out for, questions to ask their medical team, and what you need to consider for the future)
Additional resources or services YOU may need to advocate and choose the best possible care for your person.
Hard decisions will come, but after you’ve considered, planned for, and worked to come to terms with them, you’ll be ready to choose.
Be a decision-maker who trusts their instincts.
Trusting yourself is so much easier when you know that you know what you’re doing and WHY.
Lay down a plan so you can stop spending time worrying about what will happen and how it will affect you and your person.
You’ll have a clear idea of where they need to live, what resources and services you need to use in their community to support them, where to go for help, and what their care will look like now and into the future.
Making decisions following a plan, you’ll know you protected their quality of life, saying yes to treatment when it was beneficial and no, when it would not improve or maintain their quality of life.
Make Your Plan
with Dr. Lamb
And Become A Confident Medical Decision-Maker for your person living with dementia
HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU'll GET
A Personalized Medical History Analysis from Dr. Lamb!
Lifetime access to a self paced online course
Customizable medical decision planning template
Videos and Printable resources, tools and guides
NOW JUST 3 PAYMENTS OF $297
or save an additional $194 with a one-time payment of $697!
"Do it! Just do it! If you put your plan off until your LOWD is taken to the ER or hospitalized it will be way more stressful having to make medical decisions that may or may not be in the best interest, or according to the wishes of your LOWD, having a plan in place will help you make those decisions"
Pamela
"I do feel more knowledgeable about medical conditions and treatments. Taking the course drove home the point that I most likely will have to make some decisions in the future. I’m sure I won’t remember most the details of all of the medical problems and treatments but having an overview and knowing that the videos will continue to be available is very helpful to me"
Kristy L
"I feel I have a place to go look for information and where to find the questions I should be aware of or asking when needed. It will make me a better decision maker once I make the time to work through all of it"
Carol H
I totally believe in the power of what I have created for you inside this program and I believe in your ability to use it to change your life and be a better advocate for your person.
That's why if for any reason you aren't satisfied, just email me within 14 days of purchase and I'll give you all of your money back.
By following this physician created process
You’ll be able to choose the best possible care and treatments on their behalf
You’ll free up energy spent worrying about what to expect and instead can spend that time prioritizing your own health and wellness because you are one of, if not THE, greatest assets to your person.
I’ll give you the tools to understand when your person’s advance directives will help you and when they will not.
I’ll give you the tools to understand when your person’s advance directives will help you and when they will not.
I’ll teach you how to gather, organize, and analyze your person’s medical history so we can figure out their personal risks and the decisions you will be most likely to make
You’ll learn about what they are at risk for not only because they are living with dementia, but because they are a human being who is aging.
We’ll lay down your person’s overall goal of their care and also consider when it might need to change.
You’ll learn how to speak to their medical care team so that you’re heard.
You’ll be able to communicate your person’s goal to their medical team so they can help you choose what is and is not OK every time a decision needs to be made.
I’ll teach you how to gather, organize, and analyze your person’s medical history so we can figure out their personal risks and the decisions you will be most likely to make
You’ll learn about what they are at risk for not only because they are living with dementia, but because they are a human being who is aging.
We’ll lay down your person’s overall goal of their care and also consider when it might need to change.
You’ll learn how to speak to their medical care team so that you’re heard.
You’ll be able to communicate your person’s goal to their medical team so they can help you choose what is and is not OK every time a decision needs to be made.
Knowing this goal is going to help you make every medical decision
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Click on the question below to see the answer
CUSTOM JAVASCRIPT / HTML
Do I get the full program all at once?
Each week a new Module will open up. At the end of the 8 weeks, you’ll have access to go back to any section and re-watch as many times as you want.
How long do I have access?
The cost of the program includes lifetime access. I know you are busy and may be interrupted. I want you to be able to log back in at any time and re-watch a video or look at the resources that go along with it as you need to.
Can I email you questions?
Inside the course you can reply to the emails I send to you each week if you have questions or feedback about what you are learning. I will answer as best I can there via email. Who knows, maybe it will inspire me to add another video training into the program. In full transparency, if you ask me a question which requires a lot of back and forth communication, or I feel an actual conversation is needed because it is too specific to your unique situation, I may tell you I can not answer without us having a formal phone consultation which is a service I offer only to course clients.
Who will I be showing the Medical Decision Plan I create to?
That is entirely up to you. The plan is for you, the decision maker. You can discuss it with family or your person if they are able and willing. Your person’s doctors should know their overall goal of care. You will likely have to tell them. They will not always ask. When decisions need to be made you can bring along your plan and use it to help you have a conversation with your person’s care team. The plan does not go inside your person’s medical record. It is not a legal document you have to file anywhere. It is for you to use to keep yourself organized and to make sure the treatments you are choosing line up with what your person would choose for themselves. It will help you advocate and know whether or not a treatment you are being offered is in line with your person’s goals.
Will this help me even if my person has advance directives?
Yes, absolutely. I have never read a Living Will or other healthcare directive which told me how to treat a patient in the ER (unless they were clearly dying). Advance directives are not a plan and simply are not enough. People rely on them too much. This is why what I am teaching you is needed. The Medical Decision Plan you create inside this program is in addition to your person’s advance directives. What you do inside this course is for you. You do not turn it into your person’s medical care team or their attorney. You use what you learn on their behalf when making decisions for them alone or with your family.
What if I can’t get on the same page with my family?
If you are your person’s legally declared medical decision maker (on a legal document such as a medical power of attorney form) it is up to you to make their healthcare choices. You can use what you learn here to support your decision making and explain to your family the WHY behind the decisions you are making. The same applies if your person did not declare someone as their decision maker and you have a legal right to make their decisions as their spouse/partner or a child. If you are part of a group of people deciding what to do on behalf of someone, you may not be able to make the final call, but this program will teach you to speak to the rationale behind what you are advocating for and will help you get your point across to your family and to the medical team.
What if my person won’t talk about these things (goals of care, what is important to them, what kind of care they want, their future)?
This is common and normal. Do not expect the person living with dementia to discuss their future medical care. They may not be able to handle the complexity or the emotions of a conversation like this. I advise going at it in bite sized chunks and asking them one question at a time. You can make all of the decisions inside this program on their behalf speaking for them. You do not need to be able to discuss the decisions with them ahead of time in order to choose on their behalf.
Making my person’s medical decisions makes me uncomfortable. Why should I plan and not just wait and see what happens and decide what is best in the moment?
Making medical decisions is hard, I know. I help people make tough choices every day. If it stresses you out now, it will be worse when you have to do it in real time, especially in the ER or the hospital. Take the time now to figure things out and you won’t regret it. Planning for the future does not just give you peace of mind. It also empowers you. It forces you to learn, which translates into the ability to make informed choices. As a result you feel more in control. As a bonus, the knowledge you gain can be used repeatedly for the rest of your life. Use it to help yourself in planning, or to advocate for other family, friends, or people in your community.
I don’t know anything about healthcare. Are you sure you can teach me so I understand?
Yes! This is my passion. I love boiling things down into simple language that people can understand. I have to do this on a daily basis in the ER when people are under stress. One of my favorite things about what I do is the feeling I get when I realize the person is clear on what is going on and what our plan is. I put things into plain language while still teaching you words you will want to know so you can better communicate with medical professionals.
Creating a Medical Decision Plan seems like a great idea, but is this going to be too advanced for me?
Nope, I am giving you what you need to know to be able to make the most common medical decisions you will be faced with plus a process to follow when asked to make a decision about any other medical situation. If you follow the process laid out in the course I am confident you will feel well prepared to make your person’s medical decisions using the plan you create and what you learn.
I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the things you will be covering. Are you sure I can do this?
Yes! I have broken the course up into the sections I deliver to you for this reason. This is also why I recommend taking it week by week learning and implementing as you go. You can absolutely do this. I am sure you have had to make many hard decisions in your life and some under stress. Think back to those, they are not as easy and leave room for more second guessing. Not learning about what is likely to happen to your person and being left to decide on medical treatment options in crisis mode is going to be harder than taking action while going through this course.
How do I get access to the program?
When you enroll in the program you will be sent an email from Thinkific to sign up with a user name and password and then can immediately get started on Module 1.