Today, people with cancer go for cancer treatment on an outpatient basis. This means someone has to be part of the day-to-day care of the person and in many cases, this is a spouse, partner, parent or adult child.
A reliable, supportive caregiver is crucial to the physical and emotional well-being of a cancer patient. If you find yourself fulfilling this role, here are some tips on how to care for your patient.
Changing needs
Your role as a caregiver will change as the needs of the patient change during and after treatment for cancer. At some point, the needs of the patient may mean that you need to get the help of professional caregivers. Companies like Tandem Careplanning offer in-home caring and you can hire a caregiver and set schedules to accommodate needs.
Multiple roles
If you are the caregiver for a cancer patient, you will have many responsibilities. You will provide hands-on care, help with financial and insurance issues and serve as a communicator between the patient and the health care team. You will monitor any changes in the condition of the patient and keep them informed.
Some of the hands-on tasks you may need to take on as a caregiver to a cancer patient are administering medication, bathing, grocery shopping and making meals, transferring the patient from chair to bed and driving to appointments.
Before attending a doctor’s appointment, it helps to write down questions you would like to ask and keep track of the answers so you can refer to them later. Remember to ask for specific instructions about taking medication and nutritional needs
It is an advantage that a patient can be cared for by loved ones in familiar surroundings but it means that you will have multiple roles and have to cope with every aspect of care.
Support is crucial
The support of friends and family is very important to the person with cancer and the caregiver. If you need more help than the family can offer, you may be able to find a circle of friends to help you. Church members, neighbors and others may be willing to help provide meals, take the patient to appointments, etc.
A support group can be a powerful support and you don’t necessarily have to attend a physical one. There are a number of online support groups for caregivers and cancer sufferers. The American Cancer Society has an online community, the Cancer Survivors Network (CSN), consisting of people whose lives have been touched by cancer.
CancerCare has a website for caregivers, My Cancer Circle, that helps them organize family and friends who want to help.
Learn as much as you can
Learn what you can about your loved one’s diagnosis and treatment plan from reliable sources. A team approach involving the patient, family, nurses, physicians and physical therapists is essential for proper care.
You are part of this team and it helps if you understand something about the disease and the symptoms that need managing. The American Cancer Society is a good resource as well as National Cancer Institute (NCI) if you want to educate yourself.
Take care of yourself
Most caregivers hesitate to take a break from their caregiving responsibilities but you should never feel guilty if you need to take a break. You may need to rely on respite caregivers if you can’t leave the patient alone and you don’t have anyone to relieve you.
Unless you take care of yourself, you will be too drained, both physically and emotionally, to offer your cancer patient the best care.