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  4. Intensive care – the journey for family and friends

Intensive care – the journey for family and friends

Supporting families and friends of intensive care patients

Intensive care – the journey for family and friends

Having a family member or friend in an intensive care unit (ICU) is a stressful and emotional experience for many people.

Your loved family member or friend is receiving intensive care in hospital because their body is not working as it should. This may be because of an illness, an injury, or because they are recovering from a major operation. As their body needs time to rest and recover from being so ill, they may be given strong pain-killing drugs or sedatives to help the healing process begin.

Unfortunately, not all ICU patients recover fully from their critical injury or illness. Some may unable to return to the life they led before their injury or illness and some may die. If your loved one is not getting better, our ICU staff will help you develop a plan that is right for your loved one.

South Metropolitan Health Service (external site) offers intensive care at both Rockingham General Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital (external site). The following information has been developed to help you understand the ICU journey at these hospitals and what help is available to you.

  • Visiting the ICU – what to expect
  • Our intensive care teams
  • Understanding common medical terms
  • Caring for your loved one
  • When children have loved ones in ICU
  • Caring for yourself
  • When a loved one dies

Read about the ICU patient journey

Button reads ICU patient journey

Contact us

Phone the hospital switchboard on 9599 4000 and ask to be transferred to ICU.

Acknowledgment

We gratefully acknowledge the permission of ICU Steps (external site) to adapt its resources in the development of this content.

Last Updated: 24/11/2023

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