Dr. Kelly Rader Whaley, MD

I was truly hoping for a long-term relationship between Dr Whaley in caring for my 99 year old mother who is in hospice with dementia here at home. I felt she was rushed, abrupt, and not as gentle or compassionate/empathetic as I would have expected when she cared for my mother. I suspect she has never had to feel the pressure of being a caregiver for a beloved family member or if she has she puts her personal feelings ahead of those of the patient. My mother was self-neglecting in spite of our best efforts her personal hygiene for some time before hospice was involved, and while she previously received podiatry care from another practitioner currently and indefinitely no longer available, no one had prior made the issue of the neglectful hygiene as big an issue as Dr Whaley. SHe clearly held me responsible and/or those on the hospice team responsible for her bathing which my mother does not like. Dr Whaley made clear that as my mother has dementia, what my mother thinks or feels… does not matter for that very reason and I strongly disagree. No one would want to constantly have strangers who do not protect your privacy or dignity tending to your personal hygiene and we had to tolerate that when our regular nursing assistant was gone for months on maternity leave. Dr Whaley was neither kind nor gentle in my opinion. She seemed to lack empathy. She caused the cutical on one of mom's big toes to bleed and blew it off; she tossed her tools into a bin of disinfecting solution with no care to the fact of my standing nearby and it potentially splashing, to me this was just no big deal but refected her general demeanor and attitude of not caring. Prior to leaving she used her prescription pad to write out a note telling the hospice nursing staff to wash mom's feet each time there was a bandage change (3x a week). She has been serving older adults (with no issues possibly) in our community for a long while coming to our local senior adult programs (where I used to be an employee until my retirement). I am hopeful I will find another resource before mom is due to be seen again. As a loving and caring advocate for my mother, I do not need nor deserve to be put down for my efforts. NO caregiver does. People with dementia have feelings and I know it was rough on my mother because of the way she was holding my hand and squeezing it tighter when she was distressed. She also had no concern about the pain my mother was showing signs up when she lifted her legs up.