A patient sitter (garde-malade) provides a non-medical presence and watch at the bedside of a sick, elderly, or convalescent person, by day as well as by night. They see to comfort, basic hygiene, and meals, and raise the alarm in the event of a problem, but carry out no care procedure: those are the remit of a state-registered nurse. This reassuring presence secures the ability to stay at home, relieves families, and prevents isolation, while respecting the dignity of the person supported. In Marrakesh, SOS Nursing offers vetted patient sitters, by day, by night, or 24/7, coordinated with nursing care where needed. This guide sets out the exact role of a patient sitter, the watch formulas, the situations concerned, its complementarity with nursing care, the criteria of trust, and the factors that affect the price.
The remit of a patient sitter is precise and important to understand.
What a patient sitter does (and does not do)
The remit of a patient sitter is precise and important to understand. They monitor the person's general condition, help with washing, dressing, meals, and getting about, see to their comfort and safety, keep them company, and alert the family or the nurse if the condition deteriorates. They can remind the person to take prepared medication and note what they observe. By contrast, they give no injection, no dressing, no infusion, and no administration of injectable treatment: these medical procedures are strictly reserved for a state-registered nurse. This limit is not an administrative constraint but a guarantee of safety. An attentive patient sitter is a valuable relay for raising the alarm, able to flag a change in time that warrants the intervention of a care professional.
Day watch, night watch, or 24/7
The watch is adjusted according to the real needs of the person and the family. A few hours during the day may be enough to relieve a carer, ensure meals and washing, and offer a presence while the family is at work. The night watch, often of 12 hours (for example from 8 pm to 8 am), makes sleep safe, manages waking, prevents night-time falls, and reassures a person who is anxious or disoriented in the evening. A continuous 24/7 presence, organised in team shifts to guarantee vigilance, suits situations of heavy dependency or demanding late-stage convalescence. The pace is set according to the level of dependency, the home environment, and the family's resources, then adjusted over time according to how the person develops.
For whom and in which situations
The patient sitter answers a variety of situations. It suits an isolated elderly person who can no longer stay alone safely, a patient convalescing after a hospital stay or an operation, a disoriented person (memory problems, confusion) needing constant supervision, or a person at the end of life for a presence and comfort at every moment. It also offers indispensable respite to an exhausted family carer, for the duration of an absence, a weekend, or simply to catch their breath. In all these cases, the attentive presence of a patient sitter reassures both patient and family, prevents incidents, and allows a quick reaction. It often forms part of a broader arrangement combining home help and nursing care.
Night watch: making sleep safe and preventing falls
The night concentrates specific risks that justify a dedicated watch. Falls when getting up to go to the toilet, the evening disorientation frequent in elderly people, night-time anxiety, or the need for help to reposition are all situations that a night-time patient sitter handles calmly. Their presence prevents the person from lying on the floor for hours after a fall, makes any evening medication prepared in advance safe to take, and allows the family to sleep peacefully. For relatives who take on the daytime, delegating the night is often the key to keeping going over time without burning out. The night watch can be occasional (after a hospital discharge) or regular, according to needs.
Patient sitter and nursing care: the complementarity
A patient sitter and a nurse are not in opposition: they complement each other. When medical procedures are needed (injectable treatment, dressing, infusion, close clinical monitoring), a state-registered nurse intervenes alongside the presence of the patient sitter. The patient sitter ensures the continuity of supervision and comfort between nursing visits, and flags anything that warrants the care professional's attention. SOS Nursing can coordinate the two for coherent care, with no confusion of roles or responsibilities, and a single point of contact. This articulation is particularly useful after a hospital discharge or for an elderly person with multiple conditions: the everyday is covered by the patient sitter, the medical side by the nurse, in an arrangement that is clear for the family.
Trust and vetting
Entrusting the presence of a vulnerable relative to a third party requires complete trust. Each patient sitter offered by SOS Nursing is vetted (identity, references, experience) and supervised, unlike informal one-to-one arrangements, which are riskier. A coordination contact remains reachable for the family, gathers feedback, and adjusts the presence plan according to how the person develops. This traceability and follow-up protect both the patient and the family, and guarantee continuity if the usual carer is absent. Respect for the person's dignity, modesty, and habits is among the requirements. Being able to count on a reliable, monitored carer profoundly changes the peace of mind of the support.
Prices and cost factors
Understanding what affects the price helps organise sustainable support. The cost of a watch depends mainly on the duration (a few hours, a 12-hour watch, a 24/7 presence), the period (day, night, weekend, public holidays), and the person's level of dependency, which determines the intensity of help. A continuous presence mobilises several carers in shifts and therefore represents a larger budget than an occasional watch. Unlike prescribed nursing care, the patient-sitter service, a non-medical service, is generally not reimbursed by the AMO/CNSS. It is better to start by covering the priority needs (for example the nights) and adjust afterwards. A clear quote, detailing the formulas and the hours, allows you to plan and compare calmly.
