I want to do something for a neighbor/friends whose husband suffered a heart attack and is on his way to recovery. What is something special I can do to let them know that we are here for them?
I always think food. They need to eat and it's hard to put together a home-cooked meal. It shows you put in effort and everyone enjoys something delicious. But since they're neighbors, maybe offer to water the yard, take out trash, walk the dog, playdate with the kids,..?
when my DH had open heart surgery, I lived at the hospital & my mom stayed in our home & took care of our sons. It was such a huge help!
If your neighbors do not have immediate family to help them....then just think about everything you do daily & offer to handle those chores for them. My DH's surgery was during winter....so lawn care was not an issue. BUT firewood was & one of our neighbors made sure we had a ready supply.
I would bet that rehab is a part of his recovery plan...so maybe even offering transportation to/from would be helpful.
& as others have suggested, a meal would be nice. Please check for diet restrictions beforehand! My DH was on a special diet for a couple of weeks....while he was being weaned off of insulin. :)
Food. Make meals that are easy to reheat and can be dished out in single servings. You don't say if they have children that changes everything.
The other thing is, if they do not have alot of kids or family go visit. He especially may be feeling isolated and depressed. Depression is a common reaction to having had a heart attack....
A few months ago I spent almost 3 weeks in the hospital with mini-strokes... we have 5 kids which were 1 week - 7 years old at home. It was really hard for my hubby to come see me because of the kids... more so when I was in ICU because they won't let anyone under 14 in there and I was in really bad shape.
My hubby's mom drove down from MI to help with the kids so that hubby could be with me more... I think she helped the most. Not just with the kids, but it also gave someone for hubby to lean on and talk to when he was scard. At one point the doctors really scard him cause they didn't know how bad the brain bleed was from a fall during one of the mini-strokes and they told him if the bleeding didn't slow down or stop they could loose me.
Right now they need support... try to help with the kids, run to the store/post office/ect. for them, be there if they need to talk or actually someone to listen and if you can offer to make a meal or two for them or try to help with their yard work... that will be hard for them for a while and I'm sure theirs will need mowed around the sametime as yours will.
I wish your neighbor/friend a fast recovery and hope he slows down a little so that he can stay healthy.
My husband had surgery when my youngest was a baby. In the summer months no less. I had a babysitter who would stay late during the night he went into surgery and the week while he was in the hospital, I had my MIL and SIL who came over one day so I could get out of the house for a few hours after he came home and they proceeded to do my laundry and a weeks worth of cooking. I had a neighbor who volunteered to cut my lawn for 10 weeks, until my husband was released to do it again. All of that combined saved my sanity for the first 3 weeks after his surgery and the week that he was in the hospital. That being said, anything you can do will be a blessing for them. Bless you for caring and your willingness to help.
My husband suffered a heart attack just over a year ago in his early 40's. We couldn't have kept the house going without help from friends and family. My parents lived at our home for a week to help care for our 3 year old son and our two dogs while he was in the hospital. This happened in summer months so we had friends offer to mow the lawn each week and other friends who bought groceries and stocked our fridge/freezer. This was such a big help. You might ask them if there are any items in particular they need from the store. Even simple things like toilet paper, soap, laundry detergent may be something they could use.
My husband also suffered from depression. Out of work for several months since his job was very physically intensive so planned visits to the home just for some company may be appreciated. Very thoughtful of you!!
Much of this depends on the neighbor/friend's age...
Are they young, with young children? Offer to care for the children, take them to their activities, etc. This may help free them up for the hospital visits.
Are they older? Do things around the house/yard.... free them up to take care of the visits to the hospital. Mowing the lawn, watching the house, taking care of the pets, etc.....
Food is always appreciated..... they may be "eating on the run" .. fast food, sandwiches, all get very tiring after a while. If hubby is at a distant hospital, a gift card to a restaurant near the hospital may be appreciated, also.
Also... let them know..... anytime they need to talk, vent, unload..... let them know that you will be the willing ear, the shoulder to cry/vent on.... don't try to solve their problems.... just listen.
I agree....MEALS AND BABYSITTING were the best things people could do for me when my dad was dying of cancer and I had to be at the hospital so much!
