From SanoLabs, the makers of the Sam app
Help a parent with long COVID share their energy
Supporting a parent with long COVID means taking everyday tasks off their hands, leaving pace and rest to them and keeping a record for the doctor visit.
What can you do, concretely?
- Take small tasks off their plateShopping, cooking, rides: ask what costs the most energy right now.
- Respect the pacePacing means sharing energy so that overload and the worsening that follows (PEM) are avoided where possible. Your parent sets the limit.
- Do not push towards exerciseBefore starting to train again, they should talk to a GP or a specialist.
- Write down how the days wereWhat weighs most, since when, how does activity affect the days after? That helps at the appointment.
What can you say?
You could say You do not have to prove anything to me. Tell me when it gets too much.
You take the pressure off.
You could say Which task should I take on this week?
Concrete, instead of "tell me if you need anything".
You could say I will write down what you want to tell the doctor.
Good days and bad days both go on paper.
Sam for your parent
Good and bad days as a history
At the appointment the feel for the last weeks is often missing. Your parent notes days in Sam, at their own pace and only when they have the energy.
- Days in a few tapsTiredness, brain fog or breathlessness go in with a day and a strength, without long texts.
- Apple Health feeds inSam shows sleep, steps and resting heart rate from Apple Health as a trend, with nothing to type.
- Monthly report for visitsThe report puts a month of sleep and activity together. Your parent takes it as a PDF and explains the days alongside.
- Share what they chooseWith Care Circle your parent shares days or steps. You see them read-only, and you both need Sam.
Fatigue, Shortness of breath
Duration and history
from today
Keep the weeks on record for the visit
Instead oftelling the doctor from memory how the weeks felt
In SamDays with dates in the diary, sleep and activity in the monthly report.
Instead ofasking how things are today
In SamSelected entries your parent shares, read-only.
Sam records and shows what your parent enters; it does not detect long COVID, and only a doctor can make sense of it.
Questions adult children ask
EmergencyWhen should I get help right away?+
This is general safety information, not a diagnosis and not a list of long COVID symptoms. These signs need help right away in anyone:
- Sudden chest pain
- Breathlessness so severe that only single words or short sentences are possible
- Lips or skin turn pale, blue or grey
- Fainting, collapse or a first seizure
- Sudden confusion
- Coughing up blood
In these cases get help now: call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US). Do not use this list to decide on your own whether something is wrong.
Does long COVID go away?+
Symptoms can come and go, and good and bad days are part of it. There is currently no cure, and long COVID is still being researched.
How do I help without being pushy?+
Ask what is needed right now and offer one concrete thing. Lines like "you just need to move more" do not help.
Should my mother push through the exhaustion?+
No. Many people share their energy with pacing. Your mother sets the pace and clears exercise with her doctor first.
Can Sam tell when a crash is coming?+
No. Sam does not predict a crash and does not try to. Sam shows trends from Apple Health without rating them.
Sources
Last updated: October 2026
Keep the weeks on record for the appointment
Sam sums up the trends as a monthly report, so you both have something concrete to bring to the doctor.
Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. Sam does not detect long COVID, does not diagnose or treat anything and does not replace a doctor. For acute symptoms call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).