F5 – When Clinicians Become Family Caregivers: Discovering the Joys and Acute Frustrations of Collaborating with the Treatment Team

Summary

Professional and family identities are often at odds when physical and behavioral health clinicians become family caregivers for their own ill or aging family members. Those clinicians have special knowledge about their loved ones’ conditions and personalities but feel constrained in expressing their clinical opinions to the treating professionals who may regard them as a welcome resource or potential challenge to their authority. Or, conversely, clinician-caregivers may feel compelled to speak up to advocate for their loved ones and thereby risk multidisciplinary team members’ resentment and avoidance. In this workshop, a family physician, nurse practitioner and clinical psychologist who have recently had experiences as family caregivers for parents with neurodegenerative diseases will share their own and others’ personal experiences and stepwise advice for establishing trust and collaboration with primary care, specialty care and hospital teams.