For the Caregiver
Your Role as a Patient Advocate
While your loved one is in the hospital, who will speak up for him or her? You can, by being the patient’s advocate—the person who will help the patient work with doctors, nurses and hospital staff. To help your loved one make the best decisions about his or her care and treatment, follow the advice in the "Caregiver..." list on this page.
While you are making sure that your loved one’s needs are being met, don’t neglect your own. Caregiving is a stressful and time-consuming job. You may neglect your diet, your normal exercise routine and your sleep needs. You may find that you have little or no time to spend with friends, to relax or to just be by yourself for a while. But downtime is important. Don’t be reluctant to ask for help in caring for your loved one. Take advantage of friends’ offers to help, and look into local adult daycare programs. Find out more about how you can ease the stress of caregiving at www.caregiver.org or any of the resources below.
Additional Resources
AccessHealth Lowcountry
BeaufortMemorial.org/AccessHealth
Assistance with finding free or reduced-cost services for eligible adults ages 19–64
Good Neighbor Free Medical Clinic of Beaufort
Primary health care services at no cost for low-income, uninsured adults
Caregiver resources from the Administration for Community Living
Eldercare Locator
Help with locating aging services throughout the U.S.
Medicare
Official U.S. government resource for people with Medicare
National Alliance for Caregiving
Support for family caregivers and the professionals who serve them
Caregiver Action Network
Lending Room
Accepts and distributes gently used medical rehabilitation equipment
Caregiver...
Know what condition your loved one is being treated for.
Patient’s rights
Know your patient’s rights and responsibilities (see Your Rights & Responsibilities).
Advance directives
Know whether or not your loved one has an advance directive and if so, what it specifies (see Advance Directives).
Ask questions
If your loved one is too ill or reluctant to ask questions, make note of his or her concerns and any you may have, and don’t be afraid to speak up (see Speak Up).
Help track medications
Your loved one may be prescribed medications while in the hospital and may be seen by several doctors. Keep track of it all with a notebook.
What’s next?
Will your loved one need home care or care at another facility? Ask to speak with a care coordinator to find out what your options are.