Your Support Buddy

A support buddy is someone who agrees to lend you a helping hand while you undergo surgery and during the recovery period. This is someone who is able to help you while you are temporarily dependant. This should be someone in good physical condition themselves.

You may have to hire a homemaker through an agency, if so, start making arrangements now as sometimes resources are limited

Your support buddy is someone you can count on to:

• Be free to drive you home from the hospital at 11 AM on discharge day.
• Will come to preoperative teaching class and learn about your needs.
• Serves as an extra pair of ears to listen to the teaching and will help to reinforce this to you, when you go home.
• Will walk with you and encourage you to exercise as much as possible in the postoperative period.
• Will pick up prescriptions for you when you are discharged.
• Will help at home with light chores and prepare meals when you go home.
• Will be available to be off work for 3 days to stay with you to help you settle in and to help you develop a routine, assist you physically. Then, your support buddy should be available to you for 2 weeks in daytime hours.
• Will pick up any equipment needed before you go home, such as a long handled reacher, walker or a cane as prescribed.
• Reliable person to check on your home, care for pets, water plants, pick up mail while you are in hospital.
• Will do or arrange for snow removal, sand/salt walkways, stairs and entrances before, during and after your hospitalization.