Good luck Susan, and a speedy recovery to your brother.

If you have a few minutes, do a google/bing search on phrases like "caring for a family member during hospitalization", that will lead you to some articles that give tips on working with hospital staff. My mom, dad, wife and brothers and sisters have all received hospitalized care at one point or another sometimes for serious issues, sometimes more routine. You can see the care givers really doing their best most often - but when there's a family member there who can tell when Old Ed isn't responding like hisself, or who knows that certain meds make him nauseous (and he may not be awake to refuse them), it lets them apply alternatives and can lead to better care a speedier recovery. Some folks figure its just keeping the staff on their toes because 'someone is watching', and there has to be some of that, but in fact nurses and doctors are happy to have another set of eyes and ears watching and giving care (family care) to their patients while they are busy with maybe more urgent cases.