Printable question list
Questions to ask, by condition
The right questions depend on what your loved one is going through. Choose two or three from the relevant section, write down two or three of your own observations, and bring both to the next appointment. That’s the recipe for a useful visit.
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Dementia / Alzheimer’s
How will we know when the diagnosis has progressed to the next stage?
What medications, if any, slow progression, and what are realistic expectations?
When should we start thinking about driving, financial decisions, advance directives?
How do we manage agitation, sundowning, or anxiety?
When is in-home help or adult day care worth considering?
What signs would mean it’s time for memory care?
How do I handle moments when they don’t recognize me?
What support is available for me as the caregiver?
Post-stroke recovery
What’s the realistic expected trajectory for the next 3, 6, 12 months?
What therapy is recommended, how often, for how long?
What signs of a second stroke should I watch for?
How do we manage emotional changes, depression, frustration, personality shifts?
When is it safe for them to be alone? To drive? To return to work?
What home modifications would help most?
Cancer
What stage, and what does that mean for treatment options?
What are all the treatment options, and what would you recommend?
What are the goals, cure, control, or comfort?
What are realistic side effects we should prepare for?
Should we consider a second opinion? Where?
Are there clinical trials we should explore?
What’s the role of palliative care alongside treatment?
What signs would indicate treatment isn’t working?
Parkinson’s disease
What medication changes might help with current symptoms?
How should we time medications around meals and activities?
What "on/off" patterns should we report?
When should we consider deep brain stimulation or other procedures?
How do we handle freezing, falls, and balance issues?
What non-motor symptoms, sleep, mood, cognition, should we discuss?
Heart failure
What weight gain in what time frame should make me call you?
How do we manage fluid intake and salt restriction practically?
What activity level is safe, and what’s too much?
When is hospitalization avoidable with a phone call? What number do I call?
What’s the role of palliative care alongside cardiac treatment?
What would you recommend if symptoms worsen, more meds, devices, or different goals of care?
General checkup (elderly parent)
Are all current medications still necessary? Any to stop or reduce?
Are there age-appropriate screenings we should be doing, or stopping?
What vaccines should be current (flu, pneumonia, shingles, COVID)?
Are there any new symptoms, even subtle, I should worry about?
What would trigger an earlier-than-scheduled visit?
Is there a benefit from involving palliative or geriatric care?
This checklist is general guidance, not legal, medical, or financial advice. Verify specifics with the relevant professionals.
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