About this topic
A caregiver is a person who takes care of people who are sick or very young or old. Most often, a caregiver helps with the daily routines of the person. These include: ‚
- Feeding
- Giving drugs
- Going to the toilet or taking a bath
- Being a companion or doing errands
Often, a friend or a family member acts as a caregiver. Other times, people with special training do this job for employment. ‚
Caregiver-controlled analgesia may be called CCA. This refers to a caregiver who gives pain drugs to a patient. These drugs are most often given using a special tool that carefully controls the dose of the drug. CCA is only done in special cases. It means giving a strong pain-relieving drug directly into a vein. CCA may be used when patients: ‚
- Are too young to take drugs on their own
- Have a nervous or mental condition. This makes them unable to take drugs on their own.
- Are too old or weak to take drugs on their own
What care is needed at home?
- Ask the doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your patient.
- Do not let other people give the drugs.
- Get the doctors contact number. Call the doctor right away in case of an emergency.
- Learn about how to give the drugs.
- The doctor will teach you to give drugs properly. Give drugs only as directed by the doctor. Give the proper amount of drugs at the right time.
- Ask if you need to wake your patient to give the drugs.
- Keep a journal of your patient's drug schedule. Try not to miss any of the doses.
- Do not change the schedule or dose of the drug, unless told by the doctor.
- Learn about what to watch for.
- Ask the doctor what are the expected side effects of the drug. Report to the doctor right away if you see other side effects.
- Tell the doctor if your patient is taking other drugs. Some of these drugs may cause side effects when taken together with a pain drug.
- Do not give drinks with caffeine.
- Do not give beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol).
- Do not give drugs if you notice some changes in the behavior of your patient like trouble breathing or hallucinations.
What follow-up care is needed?
The doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your patients progress. Be sure to keep these visits. ‚
Will physical activity be limited?
Physical activities may be limited. Pain drugs may cause the patient to be more sleepy or drowsy. ‚
What changes to diet are needed?
- Give your patient 6 to 8 glasses of water each day. This will help to prevent hard stools.
- Offer foods rich in fiber. Good foods to offer are wheat, corn, oats, flaxseed, beans, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
- A stool softener may be needed at the same time the pain drug is being used.
What problems could happen?
Give these drugs carefully. This will help to avoid side effects. Too much of these drugs may cause: ‚
- Slow heartbeat
- Decreased breathing
- Blue or gray skin because of lack of oxygen in the body
- Coma
- Death
When do I need to call the doctor?
Call the doctor if your patient: ‚
- Cannot eat
- Sleeps more often
- Is restless or anxious
- Has hallucinations
- Has trouble or irregular breathing, or periods of not breathing
- Has side effects other than what your doctor has told you
- Is not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or is feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about caregiver-controlled analgesia.
- I can tell you how I will give the drugs to my patient.
- I can tell you what I will watch for.
- I can tell you what I will do if my patient cannot eat, sleeps too much, or has trouble breathing.
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚