Family caregivers can help shape the outcomes for their loved ones – an ICU nurse explains their vital role

Self-care, although often neglected by caregivers, is critical when looking after a loved one. SDI Productions/E+ via Getty Images by Courtney Graetzer, Vanderbilt University The floor nurse had just told me that my new patient – let’s call her Marie – would not stop screaming. Marie landed in the intensive care unit where I am a bedside nurse because she was too agitated and needed more oxygen. We immediately tried to fit her with a more advanced oxygen mask, but the screaming continued and her oxygen level worsened. No matter how much I comforted her, it was not my hand she wanted to hold. She was screaming for her daughter, April, who was on her way. April had been Marie’s caregiver at home for the past few years after Marie was diagnosed with end-stage Alzheimer’s. April is Marie’s familiar face, her source of comfort when she gets disoriented. Now Marie had been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia, and April had not left her side. As a seasoned bedside critical care nurse, I see firsthand the benefits that family caregivers bring to patient care in the hospital. I also witness the emotional stress that caregivers experience when their loved one...