Top 10 Tips: How to Talk to Health Care Providers with a Brain Injury or Other Neurological Disorder

Attending medical appointments, whether in person or via telehealth can be daunting. Those with cognitive or language impairments from a brain injury or other neurological disorder often describe leaving an appointment with feelings of being overwhelmed by the pace of the appointment, unable to process the new or complex information or have difficulty asking questions in the moment. This can result in missed or miscommunicated information.

Here’s a list of the “Top 10” ways to plan ahead and feel more in control during an appointment.

  1. Call ahead before an appointment and request to speak with a clinical staff member. During this phone call, ask about the process of the appointment including how to check in/ check out, if there can be an interview before meeting with your provider and how many staff will typically be in the room. This can help you feel more organized and prepared ahead of time.
  2. Book appointments at time of day when you are most alert.
  3. Consider asking for extra time to meet with your provider or a follow up phone call tocompile your questions after this appointment. It can be hard to learn new information and be able to turn it into questions on the spot. Requesting longer appointments or a scheduled follow up will allow for more processing time and a calmer environment to get all your questions answered.
  4. Let others know that you have a brain injury or other neurological condition. People present with a wide variety of symptoms after a brain injury. Remember that “no two brains are alike” so it’s important that you share your strengths, learning styles and challenges as specifically as you can.
  5. Develop a 2-3 sentence version of “your story” to share with providers so they learn about your strengths, challenges and symptoms. Keep it short so it doesn’t cut into the time allotted to address the symptoms leading you to this appointment in the first place.
  6. Remember that under stress your brain may react differently. What you can remember when you are feeling calm may look and feel differently when you are nervous at an appointment.
  7. Plan how you will recall the appointment details later. Take notes, record the meeting if permitted and/or bring someone else along with you to be your memory back up and fact retriever after the appointment.
  8. Ask for what you need very clearly. This may include requesting your provider to slow down or repeat information, work with you in a quiet space or even provide a written summary after the meeting.
  9. Request that your providers share information as clearly and concisely as possible. Telling someone with a brain injury to “look it up on the internet” can present with too many steps to follow and become quite overwhelming. If there are handouts they would like you to see, ask for copies or direct internet links.
  10. Ask your provider to summarize the major take aways and leave you with a written summary before leaving the appointment.

If you’d like assistance or more information for how to implement these strategies, please reach out to Amy Karas at SLPAmyKaras@gmail.com or view the website: www.SLPAmyKaras.com.

Amy Karas, MS, CCC-SLP | (617) 893-8807

Owner/Speech-Language Pathologist

Certified Brain Injury Specialist & Trainer

Certified in LSVT®, SPEAK OUT!® and PhoRTe

SLPAmyKaras@gmail.com | North Shore, MA