Your Person Has a Trach and a Ventilator: Printable Family Guide and Workbook (PDF)

Your person has a trach and a ventilator. Here is what happens next, and what to ask.

The crisis has passed and a longer wait has begun. The team is using words like weaning, trach collar, and LTACH, and you are being asked to make decisions fast. This printable guide and workbook, written by a critical care nurse, explains each step in plain English so you walk into every conversation knowing what to ask.

Instant PDF download. 84 pages, letter size, in color. Read it on your phone tonight and print the write-on pages for the bedside.

Inside

• Start with At a Glance: twelve things to know first
• Why a trach is recommended, and whether it is permanent
• Why your person can't talk yet, and how the speaking valve works
• Coming off the ventilator, step by step, and why setbacks are normal
• What a long-term acute care hospital is, and how to choose one
• Your rights, the big decisions, and what to do if weaning stalls
• Going home with a trach: training, equipment, and the emergency plan
• A hospital comparison worksheet, a 30-day weaning tracker, and daily pages to write on

Who it is for. Husbands, wives, partners, grown children, and friends of an adult who has a tracheostomy, is on a ventilator for the long haul, or is being transferred to a long-term acute care hospital.

This is a guide and resource book to inform and educate. It does not teach trach care and does not replace your professional care team; follow the recommendations of your licensed clinicians. In the USA, dial 911 for a medical emergency. The pictures are AI-made illustrations, not photographs of real people. Digital product: nothing is shipped. For personal use; you may print the write-on pages for your own family.