Caregiver and Physician Conversations - Featuring Margery Pabst and Doctor Maria Gonzalez

eCareDiary.com is thrilled to continue our monthly series with Margery Pabst, a leading voice in the field of eldercare. Each month Margery hosts a new segment for “Caregiver and Physician Conversations,” providing a forum for caregivers and physicians to discuss the challenging situations that confront patients and their families, providing a model for family and professional caregivers to discuss critical issues, family stress points and options for providing the best care to patients, especially when a family member is in a care facility such as a hospital or nursing home.

This month's guest will be Dr. Maria Gonzalez, a board certified Family Medicine Physician and Geriatrician. Dr. Gonzalez will talk about the needs of multicultural patients and how caregivers and families can meet these challenges and needs through meaningful conversations with their physicians. Dr. Gonzalez completed her residency in both family medicine and geriatric medicine at Florida Hospital Orlando. She is board certified in family medicine with a sub-specialty certification in geriatric medicine. She has a special interest in dementia, polypharmacy and preventative medicine for older adults. She has received the Careers in Long Term Care Award from the Florida Chapter of the American Directors Asso., and she has given scientific presentations at the American Geriatrics Society national meeting and written publications for international journals.

Ms. Pabst is an author, facilitator and national speaker. She is the co-author of “Enrich Your Caregiving Journey,” a book selected by Today’s Caregiver Magazine for the 2010 Caregiver Friendly Award. Her work has expanded to collaborating with physicians on identifying patient/caregiver emotional needs and values, a critical part of the healing process. In her work she explores the potential for development and empowerment as we age and care for others.