Caring for a Patient

Roles and Responsibilities for the Caregiver

As a caregiver, you must be a compassionate, patient volunteer with good observation skills, excellent organizational skills, and exceptional listening abilities. You often must be tireless and resilient, with duties including (but not limited to):

• Helping patient stand, sit, lie down, and move from room to room and place to place
• Providing help with bathing/grooming, dressing, feeding, and using the bathroom
• Doing (or arranging for) the shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundry and errand-running
• Keeping track of medical appointments and providing transportation to and from the hospital, the surgeon’s office, the physical therapist’s, and to any other appointments
• Picking up prescriptions or managing delivery of prescriptions
• Administering medications, changing dressings, keeping track of assistive devices (cane, walker, crutches, etc)
• Communicating with the healthcare team about any changes or concerns
• Managing finances, including paying regular household bills and handling the patient’s insurance paperwork

The benefits of this important role can include:

• Seeing your loved one in better shape than before the surgery
• Enjoying greater mobility after recovering from surgery
• Experiencing reduced pain compared to their pre-surgery condition
• Knowing the person you’re caring for is more independent and better able to fully enjoy the activities of daily living

You play an integral role in the hip replacement process. Make sure you do everything you can to prepare for the surgery and beyond, including reading the next sections of this site.

Next: Preparation for Surgery