At the hospital
Being a patient or a caregiver can be challenging at times. This section will give you some things to think about to make your experience a bit easier. And do not hesitate to ask for help from hospital staff, volunteer services, pastoral care or relatives and friends, if you feel you need it.
Interacting with health care staff
Health care staff will facilitate your travel as well as your stay outside your region as best they can. Some health care personnel can speak English, but this is not the case for all health care staff. Here are some things you can do to help staff help you:
Let the health care staff know if you do not understand what is being said.
Ask to be spoken to in English if you do not understand.
Ask for any documentation that is available in English. Sometimes documentation is available but is not readily at hand.
Remember, you are your own best advocate, so be sure to let people know what you need.
Being a patient
Physical needs
Emotional needs
Passing the time
Being a support person
The same is true of the support person. Just because you are not ill does not mean you are not affected emotionally or do not have a need to talk about what is going on. You will have to manage your own needs so that you can be as helpful and supportive as possible to the person you are accompanying. You too can ask for pastoral care or another form of support!