My mother is dealing with Active Multiple Myeloma and so has been dealing with pain and chemo reactions. Recently, with 3 fractured vertebrae, she has had severe pain. She is on pain killers and has hearing loss. With all of this going on in life, it is not always easy for her to communicate and that can be very frustrating.
I accompanied my mother during her pre-operation interview with Carol the day before her surgery. She was the most relaxed I had seen her while answering medical questions. Carol started by giving my mother time to gather the information she would need and physically get ready to talk. She spoke at a rate and in a way in which my mother was able to easily understand what was said. If there was something my mother missed, she would repeat or restate without being demeaning. She asked my mother to wait in asking questions until the end, which kept things on track, but at the end, Carol made sure to ask what other questions my mother had. My mother deals with hypoglycemia and has had some very negative experiences with surgery in the past. Carol not only noted this so it was cared for well before surgery, but Carol also gave my mother excellent direction on things she could do proactively so her blood sugar would not be so low.
During my mother's current medical condition, I have not seen her as relaxed as she was with Carol. As a caregiver, I appreciate Carol's excellent people skills.