Relatives often watch the staff providing care which seems complicated and involving a lot of machines and procedures that they are unfamiliar with. This leaves some relatives feeling lost and ‘in the way’. Actually you have a key role in helping your relative. Apart from ‘just being there for them’ there are some practical ways that you may be able to help that are shown below:
Many patients are only in the critical care unit for a couple days. Some of this information is for relatives of patients who have longer stays.
Providing information about the patient’s medical conditions, allergies and normal medications for staff.
Providing some background information about the patient’s likes and dislikes and who are the other members of the family, by completing the ‘Patients Passport’.
Providing some photos or other familiar things for the patient.
Making sure that they have their glasses and hearing aids and that the staff know if they need these aids.
Telling the staff if your relative seems confused or ‘not their normal selves’.
Trying to talk to your relative to tell them what’s happening at home and in the ‘real world’.
Holding their hands and, if you want to, helping with personal cares.
Asking questions about what’s going on and, if you are not happy with the care provided, let senior members of staff know.
Suggesting that your relative tries the ear plugs and eye masks to help them sleep at night
If you see staff doing a good job, let them know!
When patients go home, they often have very little memory of what happened on the critical care unit, some patients and relatives find it helpful to keep a diary of what’s happened during the stay to discuss with the patient when they get home.