From SanoLabs, the makers of the Sam app
Take load off a parent with ME/CFS, without pushing
Supporting a parent with ME/CFS means taking tasks off their hands, never forcing activity and helping them explain at the appointment how exertion affects the days after.
What can you do, concretely?
- Take load offShopping, cooking, rides, paperwork: every task you take over saves energy.
- Do not force activityWith ME/CFS, symptoms get worse after physical or mental effort, sometimes for weeks (PEM).
- Take limits seriouslyME/CFS is a physical illness, not laziness. Your parent knows their limits best.
- Prepare the appointmentWrite down a typical day and how activity affects the days after. In a short visit this is easily lost.
What can you say?
You could say I believe you. Tell me what I can take off your hands.
Believe and offer, nothing more is needed.
You could say We do not have to manage this today. We will postpone it.
You take the time pressure away.
You could say I will write down how the days after appointments feel.
That gives the doctor a picture of the course.
Sam for your parent
Record the days after, without much energy
How exertion affects the following days is hard to explain in a short visit. Your parent notes it in Sam, with a few taps instead of long texts.
- Short entriesExhaustion, brain fog or sleep problems go in with a day and a strength, even on days with little energy.
- Apple Health feeds inSam picks up sleep, steps and resting heart rate from Apple Health. Your parent types nothing, and Sam rates nothing.
- Monthly report for visitsA month of activity and sleep goes into the report. Your parent takes it as a PDF and describes the days after.
- Share what they chooseWith Care Circle your parent shares selected entries. You see them read-only, and you both need Sam.
Fatigue, Sleep changes
Duration and history
from today
Less explaining, more history
Instead ofcalls where your parent first has to explain how they are
In SamSelected entries your parent shares, read-only.
Instead oftelling the doctor from memory how the days after appointments were
In SamDays with a date and a strength, noted in a few taps.
Sam records and shows what your parent enters; it does not predict a crash, 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 ME/CFS 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
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.
How is ME/CFS different from normal tiredness?+
With ME/CFS, rest does not relieve the exhaustion and effort can make symptoms worse. This is called post-exertional malaise (PEM).
Should my father be pushed to do more?+
No. Forcing more activity can make symptoms worse. Your father sets the pace and talks about pacing with his care team.
Is there a remedy for ME/CFS?+
There is currently no cure. There is support for the symptoms, such as advice on pacing. Be wary of anyone who promises a quick fix.
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.
Can an Apple Watch show whether my father has ME/CFS?+
No. An Apple Watch does not detect or diagnose ME/CFS. That takes a medical examination.
Keep the trends 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 ME/CFS, 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).