Updated August 26, 2014.

A hospital stay can be very stressful for a caregiver and for their loved one. In part one of Staying Healthy in the Hospital, we looked at the various ways in which caregivers can be an advocate for their loved one during their hospital stay. Here we focus on ways to make the hospital stay more healing and relaxing for the patient.

1. See if visiting hours are written in stone

In some situations, like the ICU, the hours are normally inflexible although in the cases of end-of-life situations the rules are temporarily waived.

On other units, there may be more flexibility. If there is flexibility, you have to demonstrate to the nursing staff that you are a help not a hindrance to their work and your loved one's healing. Often the family member can take care of things like finding snacks, finding the ice machine, refilling water pitchers etc Stay physically out of the way, or be quick to move, when the staff comes in for take vital signs or give medications.

Some hospitals have an unspoken rule of looking the other way if a caregiver stays at the bedside all night and as long as you don't make a big deal about it (don't change into your jammies and set up a sleeping bag) and others are quite strict, sending security guards around at nine or ten o'clock to collect all the visitors overstaying their welcome.

If your loved one is in a private room, there is usually no reason for you not to stay overnight unless they have a communicable disease. Even then, if you take proper precautions you can usually spend a good amount of time in the room.

In the case of a severely immunosuppressed patients, like someone who had a recent bone marrow transplant, visiting may be limited in order to decrease the chance of germs entering the room.

2. Know your loved one

If you trust the hospital staff to answer call bells quickly and deal with any issues that come up, you may find that your loved one feels okay being in the hospital alone at night. Many patients are not able to sleep if they have a loved one with them because they are worried about the discomfort and inconvenience of sleeping in a chair, etc.

3. Learn the names of staff members

Learn the names of the regular staff members who take care of your loved one. This serves two functions. One, it provides a modicum of basic civility. No one likes to be called "nurse" or "orderly." Two, it increases staff accountability. It's not just random hospital personnel, it's a specific person that has a specific responsibility.

4. Bring the nurses treats

It's not a bribe, it's a reward and thank you for a job well done. Nurses get a lot of the generic fruit baskets or cookie baskets, if you have time to make even homemade brownies from a box you be appreciated. If you bring them in while they are still warm, you will be remembered forever.

5. Try to make the room or area cozy and bright, but avoid clutter

One of the pet peeves of nurses is family members bringing so many items into the small hospital rooms that they trip over random objects while trying to complete their work. A small cheery picture of the grandchildren can go a long way towards making your loved one remember they are loved, but leave the 30 by 45 inch framed portrait at home.