Medical Confusion

I am trying to be helpful to Gertrud and Heinz with their medical issues. However, I get phone calls from them telling me about different people they go to see. The problem comes in that they never remember who is who. They think nurses are doctors, dieticians are nurses, receptionists are nurses, doctors are called,"the girl with the blond hair at the doctor's office," or, "that nice nurse that I saw the other day." Everyone is a nurse or doctor or vice-versa. They don't remember names, which creates real chaos when they need to go to appointments. They don't know who they are seeing or why most of the time. Unless I put it on my own calender, call them before hand several times and then possibly go with them, they manage to get into trouble. They either go to the wrong person or see the right person, but don't know why they are there. Today's example was Heinz' appointment with the heart specialist. He went there, but didn't know exactly the reason he was sent or what type of doctor it was, so he told her all about his prostate problem with the expectation of an exam. Well, I wasn't there, so I can't tell, what the doctor thought about all this, but I'm sure the doctor must have been as confused by him as he was by her. However, he did get another appointment for a full stress test, which I explained was a test to check his heart and that he needed to bring running shoes. I feared that he might show up in his big work boots, or if snow arrives, some big ol' snow boots. So for now I just try to keep track of their appointments as best I can and make the necessary phone calls because another problem is that they generally don't understand the medical terminology. They often come out of appointments more confused as when they went in. This is why it's necessary to accompany if at all possible. It's horrible to think that this will be yourself one day. Old, confused and in need of help at almost every corner. Ever notice how many eldery people are accompanied to their appointments? This is why. If you want your parents or grand parents to stay healthy and if you want to know what their health status really is, you need to take the time out and go around with them. As uncomfortable as it might get, to take one's gramma to the gynocologist perhaps, or to take your dad to the urologist and listen to the doctor describe their ailments, it's a necessary evil to do it. As I have learned, one can do more than one could ever have imagined when it comes to your loved ones.