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• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 61-70 >> Interview 14 >> When she talked to her husband about their grandchildren, she noticed tears rolling down his cheeks.

She has cared for her husband full-time since he had a heart attack and life threatening infection that meant he had to have his leg amputated.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 02 >> When they lessened the sedation, her husband was so violently agitated they had to increase it again, but he soon started improving and would communic

In 2003 her husband had an accident while cycling on his mountain bike in woods close to their home. The accident left him with a serious head injury, fractures to his neck and spine, and a collapsed lung.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 18 >> Although she was very weak, gradually her friend was able to sit up, stand, walk with a Zimmer frame and have nutritional drinks to help her recovery.

Her best friend spent two weeks in ICU. She was the closest person to her, visited her daily and is now her main carer.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 61-70 >> Interview 37 >> The nurses washed his wife's hair and did whatever they could to make her comfortable, as well as giving him lots of support too.

His wife spent 49 days in ICU because of severe lung problems. After her illness, he became involved in helping improve services for ICU patients.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 30 >> Both he and his mother noticed that some nurses were more diligent at cleaning and preventing the spread of infection than others.

His father died in ICU, aged 83. Being an intensive care doctor, he was able to provide information and support to his mother and brother.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 61-70 >> Interview 27 >> She felt her husband needed specialist support for his brain injury but wasn't getting this on the ward he was moved to.

Her husband had cardiac arrest and was admitted to ICU. She is his full-time carer and worries about leaving him on his own because of his memory.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 61-70 >> Interview 37 >> After several bureaucratic problems, he was able to transfer his wife to a private hospital, where she would get the physiotherapy and psychological s

His wife spent 49 days in ICU because of severe lung problems. After her illness, he became involved in helping improve services for ICU patients.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 51-60 >> Interview 07 >> Although their son was very weak, one day, completely out of the blue, he got up and walked across the ward unaided.

Their son was admitted to ICU in 2005 with bacterial meningitis. It was a traumatic time but he is now back home and has made excellent progress.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 51-60 >> Interview 04 >> Her son walked for the first time since his accident when he was in a rehabilitation unit and she praised the support he received from a physiotherapi

In October 2004, her son had a motorbike accident and was admitted to ICU. He had a serious head injury and broken jaw.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 51-60 >> Interview 07 >> Their son went to a rehabilitation unit during the day and came home in the evenings, and they were pleased when he was able to have speech therapy.

Their son was admitted to ICU in 2005 with bacterial meningitis. It was a traumatic time but he is now back home and has made excellent progress.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 61-70 >> Interview 31 >> His wife needed a lot of support and, in the rehabilitation unit, nurses had time to spend with her and physiotherapists helped her become mobile agai

He cares full-time for his wife, who was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 1998. She has been admitted to ICU several times and recently had a stroke.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 51-60 >> Interview 19 >> Her brother made huge progress at the rehabilitation unit and is now independent enough to live alone at home and visit the unit every day.

Her brother had an accident while cleaning his motorbike. He had severe head injuries and spent almost four weeks in ICU, where she visited him daily.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 30 & under >> Interview 21 >> She was glad to have her partner back home but he had just begun to realise how weak and debilitated he'd become.

In 2005 her partner had a car accident and spent over four months in ICU. She visited daily while her mother looked after her new baby.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 01 >> Her sister is now much better, more independent and has spent a lot of time visiting friends before she eases herself back into work.

In March 2005 her sister was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome. This is a rare disorder of the peripheral nerves, those outside the brain and spinal chord.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 02 >> Shortly after taking her husband home, he received physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and she had two weeks off work to look after him.

In 2003 her husband had an accident while cycling on his mountain bike in woods close to their home. The accident left him with a serious head injury, fractures to his neck and spine, and a collapsed lung.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 29 >> He felt that his partner's mother should have stayed longer in hospital to gain more strength and received more support when she came back home.

His partner's mother was admitted to ICU after an accident in the home. He lived with them at the time and tried to provide emotional support.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 51-60 >> Interview 20 >> At first he was worried that he'd become his wife's carer rather than her husband but that didn't become an issue.

In 2004 his wife and her mother spent six months in hospital and was admitted to ICU three times because of sepsis and heart problems.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 51-60 >> Interview 05 >> He felt there was a lack of medical support after ICU and that his wife's recovery depended very much on the care given to her by him, his daughter an

In 2003 his wife was involved in an accident in the home. He stayed at the hospital for two weeks while his wife was in the first ICU.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 29 >> His partner's mother should have stayed in hospital longer so she could get the support she needed from people who were medically trained.

His partner's mother was admitted to ICU after an accident in the home. He lived with them at the time and tried to provide emotional support.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: experiences of family & friends >> Aged 61-70 >> Interview 37 >> Get as much support as possible once the ill person is back home, from GPs, hospital doctors and physiotherapists.

His wife spent 49 days in ICU because of severe lung problems. After her illness, he became involved in helping improve services for ICU patients.