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Families' page

Getting your loved one home can be an enormous relief, but it can also raise a number of questions about how much help they might need, how able you feel to support them physically and emotionally, what kind of help you might be able to get for yourself,how long they might take to make a full recovery and how you might cope financially if you need to take time off work. In this section, we have provided some practical information, advice and links to potential sources of help with everyday living, money and emotional support.

 

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Web Link: Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance is a benefit for people aged 65 or over who need help with personal care (washing,dressing or eating, for example).Some patients need this type of help in the first few weeks and months after they get home.This link will take you to the NHS Choices web page, which will tell you more about what this allowance is, who is eligible and how to claim it.

External Video: Bob describes his long term recovery

In this short video, Bob (a former Intensive Care patient) talks about his recovery over the months and years since his accident.

Web Link: Borrowing a wheelchair

Although you may not have been issued with a wheelchair when you leave hospital, some people continue to have problems with walking after they get home.It might be helpful to borrow a wheelchair "just to get out of the house", if you're not sure how far you can walk, you tire easily or have lost your confidence a little. This link will take you to the webpage of the British Red Cross, who may be able to lend you mobility equipment.If you type in your postcode, they can...

Web Link: Carers' Assessment (NHS Choices)

When someone ends up Intensive Care, close family and friends are also affected. They play a very important part in the patients' recovery after they go home.Given the importance of their involvement, the government has ensured that they have certain rights that, by law, must be met. Close family or close friends are often called "carers" by health and social care services, and most have a legal right to an assessment of their own needs. That includes things like...

Web Link: Citizens Advice (Scotland)

This link will take you to the Citizens Advice Bureau. They can provide information and advice on a wide range of money, legal and health issues including: Money & debt Benefits Employment Housing Family problems Health Services Legal rights & responsibilities For advice in Scotland, go to https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/ For advice in England, go to https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ For advice in Northern Ireland, go to...

External Video: Common issues after getting home

In this video, Anne talks about her role as a follow up nurse at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. She sees patients after they've been discharged from hospital and talks about the common issues patients and families face during this time.

Web Link: Community Care Assessment

If you or the person you're looking after has difficulty with personal care (washing and dressing, for example), you could consider getting support from social services by having a community care assessment of your needs.The assessment looks at what type of services are needed. This might include a range of things, from from aids and home adaptations to visits from care workers or residential care.

Web Link: Healthtalkonline

This is a free online resource for members of the general public and has sections on a range of illnesses and conditions. There is a section on Intensive Care; one on patients’ experiences and another on relatives’ experiences. There are video clips, voice recordings and interviews which have been typed out word for word, which many patients and familiy members find really useful.

Web Link: Healthunlocked.com

Many people find it helpful to hear that other people's experiences are similar to their own or to share their experiences online.This link will take you to the Intensive Care web page of Healthunlocked.They have a blog page in which patients and family members can ask questions and share experiences of Intensive Care and the recovery process.

Web Link: ICU Support Groups

Some people find it helpful to meet and talk with others who have been through similar experiences to their own. This is the weblink to ICUsteps website with details of patient and family support groups UK wide including Edinburgh and Dundee It will tell you more about the groups, who they are, what they do and when and where the meetings are held.