When your loved one still needs help breathing
Your loved one may be ready to leave intensive care and still need a ventilator. At your next update, ask what the machine is doing for them and how the team will decide when to try less support.
What the team learns from a breathing trial
During a supervised trial, clinicians watch how your loved one breathes with less help. Comfort, breathing effort and oxygen levels help the team decide what to try next.
How Lakeview supports this stage
At our Waterford hospital, respiratory therapists, nurses and physicians coordinate ventilator and tracheostomy care with therapy and rest.
How to stay in touch
Ask how your loved one can tell you they need a break. Glasses, hearing aids or a communication board may make a short visit easier.
When breathing is only part of the picture
Tell the team about the other changes you notice. A wound, swallowing difficulty or a change in alertness can affect the plan for getting out of bed and moving to the next setting.
Protecting a wound
If sitting puts pressure on a wound, ask how staff position your loved one for therapy and when the dressing will be checked.
After a brain injury or stroke
Tell the team about a response you recognize, such as turning toward a familiar voice. Ask how they judge whether it is consistent.
Choosing the next setting
Someone can still need hospital treatment while beginning therapy. Ask which treatment requires a hospital today and how much activity your loved one can manage.