How providers can help Be welcoming and supportive of family caregivers Get to know the caregivers Give the family information and resources to understand the diagnosis and prognosis Respect the family as part of the patient care team Include the family in patient care and patient discharge planning Point out and build on the family’s strengths Discuss what recovery means to the family Educate the family about ways to support recovery Refer the family to a support group or family education course Orient caregivers to tasks and check expectations Take the time to teach family caregivers (at least briefly) how the hospital or service works and who is on your floor, and encourage caregivers to seek this information from other services and units in order to enhance their ability to navigate the health system. Remain cognizant of caregiver stress and modulate expectations accordingly. Give hope. Avoid the use of terms that convey pessimism and help families remain positive as they work with the patient toward wellness and recovery. Be understanding. The level of a caregiver’s involvement in care varies over time in response to the stage of the illness, the level of acuity, and the treatment. Check for competency. Caregivers must be able to manage the amount, level, and intensity of care demands. Obtain patient consent Ask the patient for consent to share information with caregivers. If the patient does not give consent to share information with the family caregiver: Explore the reasons with the patient, and keep asking the patient to give consent. Try not to ask the patient for consent with a question that requires a yes or no answer: Instead of “Can we share information with your family?” say “Which family member can we share information about your progress with?” Be supportive and sensitive to the caregiver’s information needs. Discuss “no consent” with the caregiver and acknowledge the difficulty that this poses for the caregiver. Assure the caregiver that their loved one is “OK” and “getting appropriate treatment”. Offer the caregiver hope because, “The patient may have a change of mind if we wait a few days and ask again”.