Communicating with your doctor

To help us learn how to better communicate with our doctors, whether in person or by other means, the nonprofit Rapp at Home will host an informational session and discussion at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26, called “Proactive Patients: How to make the most of communications with your doctors.”

The best health care, for people of all ages, results when patients are actively engaged with their doctors, ask good questions and work together as a team. With physicians' busy schedules and timelimited visits, that may be easier said than done. Staying in touch with our health providers has been especially challenging in the past year as we've often had to connect by phone, email, or video conference.

The one-hour session will be led by Dr. Eve Bargmann. Board certified in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Dr. Bargmann has lived in Rappahannock and practiced in the area for over 20 years, caring for mostly geriatric patients. She also teaches medical students and residents in UVA's Department of General Medicine, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care.

In Proactive Patients, Dr. Bargmann will share physicians’ insights and lead a discussion about how we can be proactive in our own care by planning for medical appointments, thinking ahead about the information you want to share with your medical provider, knowing the best questions to ask, and capturing the important information from the visit.

Rapp at Home serves the health, safety, and social needs of area seniors. The organization is making this session open to the community. You can listen and participate by phone or Zoom conference. For information on joining the session, please call the Rapp at Home office at (540) 937-4663 or email addell@rappathome.org.