A cancer diagnosis is a life-altering thing, and not just
for the patient seeking cancer services. Family and friends often find
themselves suddenly playing the role of caregiver, not an easy one to
perform.
Patients getting cancer services are likely to need
help with the following things:
- Shopping and preparing food
- Taking medication
- Personal care and hygiene (bathing, grooming, dressing, using the bathroom)
- Housecleaning and laundry
- Bill paying
- Finding the right doctors and treatment facilities
- Coordinating scheduling for treatments with multiple providers
- Finding a support group
- Managing symptoms and treatment side effects at home
- Advocating for the patient with cancer services providers
The tendency is for caregivers to suffer in silence, feeling
guilty about their inability to provide more help, or even about being healthy.
The fact is, caring for someone with cancer costs both time and money, and if
the caregiver is not careful it can take a toll on his or her health, as well.
If you are serving as a caregiver to a loved one
receiving cancer services, it is normal to feel good about what you are doing,
even when it costs you dearly emotionally, financially and physically. However,
it is important to get the information, outside help and support you need. The
better you take care of your own needs, the better prepared you will be to care
for your loved one.
Here are the top 10 challenges you may have to deal
with while helping a loved one with cancer.
·
Communication
– It can be hard to learn to talk to someone with cancer, or to talk with those
who provide their cancer services and treatments. You may not understand the
terminology they are using and have a lot of questions, or you may be nervous
about asking your loved one questions for fear of worrying them or hurting
their feelings.
·
Understanding
the health care system – Today’s health care system can be difficult to
navigate, even for professional healthcare workers. Finding your way around treatment
protocols, follow-up care, seeking second opinions, finding cancer service
providers in the first place, and making sense of bills can be hard.
·
Making
health decisions – Whether it’s choosing a doctor or hospital, helping your
loved one decide on treatment options, or how to take care of the healthy parts
of their bodies while undergoing treatment, decisions about their health (and
yours) will become more pressing and more difficult.
·
Long-distance
caregiving – If you need to care for someone who lives far away, or you
simply have to travel with them so they can receive cancer services at a
facility a long way from home, distance will become a factor in your
caregiving.
·
Treatment
timeline – This goes hand in hand with understanding the system and
communicating with your loved one. Understanding the timeline - what steps are
involved, in what order, and how long it will take - will be essential for you.
You may need to explain it to your loved one and to other caregivers. You will
also need to understand it to plan for travel and expenses.
·
Staying
organized – Keeping track of all the details of your loved one’s care: names
and contact numbers of those providing cancer services, prescriptions and
proper directions for how to take them, leads for possible back-up caregivers,
and everything in between - will be a crucial part of your job. You also have
your own life to keep on track, so the more organized you are, the better.
·
Taking
care of yourself – Getting enough rest, eating right, and exercising will
ensure you have the stamina and emotional strength to deal with this very
trying time. When someone you love is suffering, it’s natural to feel guilty
about taking care of your own health. However, you won’t be much good to them when
you are exhausted or sick.
·
Asking
for help – Asking for help isn’t selfish or lazy, and it doesn’t mean you
love them any less; it’s just plain smart! There’s a lot to do. At times, other
people will be able to fulfill parts of the caregiving duties better than you
can, or fill-in when you need to do something else. Never be afraid to seek
help, and ask for it. Often, you will be doing the other potential caregiver a
favor as many will want to help but be unsure of how. Asking for help can be a
gift, as well as ease your burden.
·
Job,
insurance, and money concerns – If cancer treatment is making it hard for
your loved one to work, you may have to deal with their job, insurance or money
concerns. If you need to take time off, you may have your own concerns to
contend with, as well. Staying organized and asking for help can lessen these
concerns.
·
Legal
issues – If you run into problems you can’t solve, either dealing with the
healthcare system, a job, or perhaps even a paid caregiver, you may encounter a
legal issue. Think about how you might address that in advance, and familiarize
yourself with resources that can help if you need them.
Being a caregiver is a tough job, but it’s an important and
rewarding one, too. Today, more than 12 million Americans have had cancer. Each
one probably needed a caregiver to help them through their cancer experience.
In many cases, a caregiver makes the difference, not just to
the patient’s prognosis, but also in their everyday experience dealing with the
disease. What may be an emotional no-brainer at first - deciding to “be there”
for your loved one in any way you can - can quickly turn into a full-time job
you aren’t prepared to do without major sacrifices to your own well-being.
As a 229-bed acute care hospital located in the heart of
Slidell, LA, Slidell Memorial
Hospital provides access to cancer services, as
well as the latest treatments, technology and expert physicians.
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