Illness happens to one person. The whole household lives it.
This is what we’ve written for the people beside the patient: a son waiting outside intensive care, a wife puzzling over a report, a mother who has just seen her child’s first seizure.
I’m here for…
Your choice stays in this browser only, so that what matters to families comes first across the site. We never ask for a name or a diagnosis.
What is happening now?
Choose the description closest to where you are. We don’t need to know the diagnosis; we start from the situation.
- A family member is in intensive careWhy they’re asleep, what the ventilator means, and what to ask the team.
- I saw a convulsive seizureWhat to do during it, and when to call an ambulance.
- We’re waiting for a diagnosis, or just got oneThe first days, and what to understand first.
- They’re leaving hospital soonWhat to ask before discharge, and what to watch for at home.
- We have a report we don’t understandThe words explained, without interpreting the case.
- I don’t know how to explain it to my childrenHonest words that suit a child’s age.
- They’ve had a strokeWhat to do now, what happens in the emergency department, and the first days.
And you, too
The person beside the patient gets tired in a way nobody sees: broken sleep, hard decisions, and fear they don’t voice in front of the patient. That isn’t weakness, and looking after yourself isn’t selfish.
- Share the roles in the family: who stays, who handles the paperwork, who talks to the doctors.
- Pick one person to talk with the medical team and pass on what was said, so the information doesn’t conflict.
- Sleep and eat, even a little. A long illness needs someone who can stay the course.
- If worry or grief stops you sleeping or eating for weeks, talk to a doctor; it happens to many carers, and help exists.