An appointment about her falls goes better when the night is already written down. The physician can only work from what you can describe, and memory in the exam room is usually thinner than memory at the kitchen table. Clinical questions belong to her physician, so this piece covers what you bring and what you check before the visit.
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Check before you book
Call the office and ask whether the visit can cover falls and night trips, and whether the physician wants a written log in advance. Ask whether the notes you bring can go into her file, and whether a family member can join by phone if she tires during the visit. Confirm who will receive any written plan that comes out of the appointment.
Write the log before the visit
For each time she got up at night, write the time, the reason she got up, the route she took, the light she had on, what she wore on her feet, whether she held anything, and what happened. Note any dizziness, shaking, or confusion you saw, and whether she said she felt faint. A log of several nights is more useful than one bad night described from memory.
Ask the questions you already have
Write your questions on one page, most important first. Ask what could make her unsteady at night, whether any of her medicines should be reviewed in light of night trips, which symptoms mean calling the office that same day, and what should happen next if she falls again. Ask for the answers in writing if the office offers that.
What to write down after
Write down what the physician said, what was changed, what was left as it was, and when to call back. Put the note where the night sheet lives so the next person on the route works from the same plan. The sources page lists the public references behind the general points on this desk.