Background

Christopher has come to see Dr Walker for an appointment. During the appointment, Christopher tells Dr Walker that his wife, Shirley, is becoming very forgetful. He explains that she forgets friends’ names and where they’ve been on holiday. While he recognises that memory may deteriorate as people get older, he’s particularly worried about Shirley’s memory loss. He tells Dr Walker about a recent incident where Shirley turned the gas on the hob but then forgot to light it. Christopher also says that Shirley can become very confused when driving and freezes at roundabouts even though she’s driven them so many times before. He’s concerned that she may not be safe to drive anymore.

Dr Walker listens to Christopher but explains that he can’t discuss Shirley’s care with him without her consent. He explains to Christopher that he can listen to his concerns about Shirley but has to be careful about protecting Shirley’s confidentiality. Dr Walker asks whether Christopher told Shirley of his intention to share these concerns at this appointment. Christopher admits that he hasn’t said anything to Shirley about today’s appointment because he knows she’ll be upset and annoyed that he’s gone behind her back. He explains that the reason he’s come to Dr Walker directly is because he’s so worried about her and thinks she may be unsafe to drive – he doesn’t know what else to do. Christopher says that when he tried to tell Shirley – sensitively – that he thinks she may need to stop driving and that he is worried about her memory, she got quite upset. 

He asks Dr Walker whether he can say something to Shirley – he says it’ll have more weight coming from a doctor.