TRACH-Support: A Conversation Tool for Tracheostomy and Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation

What does a tracheostomy mean for friends and family?

When a patient receives a tracheostomy, it also affects friends and families. These decisions can be hard. Loved ones have said that they struggled with feelings of Hope, Uncertainty, and Guilt when deciding.

Patients with tracheostomies can be in the hospital for a long time. Some rehabilitation facilities can be far from where someone lives. Patients with tracheostomies can have a rocky road to recovery. However, some people take great joy in seeing their loved ones improve. Regardless of what happens to your loved one, the process can place a significant burden on caregivers.

Caregivers of patients who are chronically critically ill can develop anxiety, depression, fatigue, and other mental and physical ailments. Regardless of what you decide, it is important to make sure you take care of yourself. It is important to seek help if you think you need it.

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The Patient decision aids on this website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.The material provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not provided as medical advice. Nothing contained in these pages is intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment. Any individual should consult with his or her own physician before starting any new treatment or with any question you may have regarding a medical condition. No personal health information will be collected from users. Contact information is only collected if the user requests additional information regarding one of the tools. Last Updated 10/31/2019

Funding by the National Institutes on Aging (1K23AG040696) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PI000116-01).