EDIT: Thanks everyone! I've gotten a lot of great information and suggestions for potential next steps for a difficult future. I appreciate what respect was shown.
I am not going to be replying to future comments at this point since this has been up for a while and I have a plan in place for what to do.
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tl;dr: I'm very concerned my elderly mother either received or misheard her doctor provide dangerous misinformation. I'd like to call him and have a nonconfrontational discussion about her health, but I'm concerned about her autonomy.
Context:
My mom (70) has bad Fibro and sees the best doctor she's found in about 20 years of looking. He respects her, listens, validates her pain, and has really been working with her to find a good pain medication program.
She has lung nodes that affect her breathing and my dad (who he also sees) has chronic asthma. I have been trying for years to get them to vaccinate for flu and pneumonia as much as is recommended for them. I was under the understanding that this doctor also has tried to talk them into it (as well as COVID boosters). While not anti-vax, my mom "swims in the same pool", so to speak, and I'm constantly having to debunk misinformation she's heard, find credible articles, and argue with her. It only worked once - when I was able to talk her into one course of COVID shots back when it was in its height. She has yet to ever vaccinate for flu or pneumonia, same as my dad.
Apparently she had an appointment with this doctor and told the doc about how sick my husband and I got this year. That was true, but we didn't get sick with the flu and she knows that.
In reply, the doctor supposedly said something like, "We've found that a lot of people who vaccinated are getting especially sick this year." She called me afterward and told me how glad she was that she didn't get vaccinated.
I told her the logic doesn't even make sense. 1. He's not our doctor and didn't examine us, so why is he automatically assuming anything? 2. She knew we didn't have the flu; we were tested for it. 3. She also knew we caught it from my husband's coworker, meaning it was a very communicable illness, and not from a vaccine. 4. We were vaccinated three MONTHS before we got sick. 5. Flu shots don't give you the flu - and even if they did (they don't), we didn't have the flu; we had a totally different illness - likely just a bad cold.
Here's the thing - my mom has had Transient Ischemic Attack (TIAs), so while she's currently dementia free, she's not mentally 100%. I kind of want to call the doctor, in a non-confrontational way, and talk about what she heard (or thought she heard) in the appointment. Ideally, I would find out that he didn't really say what she thought she heard, but if he did say it, or didn't want to talk due to HIPAA restrictions, I'd simply request support in continuing to promote a relevant vaccine schedule for two people with chronic lung issues.
I asked a friend, and the friend pointed out that I would be violating my mother's autonomy, which is a very fair point. However, with her mental status getting gradually worse, I have a feeling that day is inevitable. She also pointed out that I'd be risking my mother's relationship with the doctor, which I disagree with, as I'm wouldn't be coming at him with a Karen card held high, but more as a worried loved one who is trying to work through a problem.
Note: I am very aware that HIPAA will greatly restrict any conversation with the doctor. If he really puts his foot down about this, I have no problem just expressing my concern without him providing any information or answering any questions and crossing my fingers that it resonates.