Even for those of us who are healthy, a visit to the doctor can be anxiety-provoking. There’s something about that white coat (or maybe our health concerns) that’s unnerving and can leave us tongue-tied. Back in February 2019, agebuzz published a post on improving communication with your physician. More recently, Next Avenue published a written and audio interview with Dr. V.J. Periyakoil, a noted geriatrician and Associate Professor of Medicine from Stanford University, who has created a Letter Template project that guides you as a patient in conveying your values and life goals to your physician in simple, straightforward language. This way, you can communicate clearly and effectively with your doctor about what’s important to you and your health care choices, both while you’re healthy and should you become ill. The letter templates are easily downloadable and come in a choice of languages. To find out more about Dr. Periyakoil’s advice and work, click here.

And if you are making that doctor’s appointment, perhaps aim for a morning visit. Researchers at The University of Pennsylvania recently published a study in JAMA Open Network reporting that the time of day of your doctor’s visit may have an impact on the professional advice of your physician. Those whose visits were earlier in the day were more likely to be given recommendations for screenings and other preventive measures while those seen later in the day may have been victims of the doctor’s “decision fatigue.” We can all likely relate to this end-of-the-day drag, so it’s not surprising that physicians as well suffer exhaustion by day’s end. So set your alarm, get to the doctor early, and read more here.