Welcome to OCF! What a good friend you are!!! Having a caregiver and someone who will help out as needed can be a huge help to both the patient and the caregiver. I suggest checking in daily to see what they need even if its just to hang out one day so the caregiver can get a break. All kinds of little things can be a huge help when recovering from major surgery. Things like walking the dog, mowing the yard, taking out the trash, doing a load of laundry, picking up prescriptions, bringing over dinner for the caregiver, bringing over a DVD rental to help the patient escape mentally for a short time, or driving them to their appointments all can mean so much. Just knowing you are there and ready to help any way you can will help them both.

Please keep us posted and feel free to ask questions. We will be here to help you.