Helping, supporting and taking care of family and friends who are a caregiver to cancer patients can be a Challenge. This is primarily because caregivers devote so much of their time and energy to the cancer patient that they often overlook their own needs. As i have personally gone through being a caregiver i hope that this article helps people fell more comfortable with helping those who care for others.
My aim is to explore various ways how you can help the caregiver, with a focus on emotional support and practical assistance without overstepping any boundaries.
Emotional Support
Providing emotional support is a fundamental way to help caregivers. Different people require different forms of emotional support. Some may need a listening ear to discuss how the challenges of caregiving are affecting them, while others might prefer a distraction from the topic altogether.
Because of this if you are close to the caregiver you could always try be a place where they can go and express their Emotion without judgment. This in itself can be one of the best ways to help a caregiver of a cancer patient.
Asking for Help
Knowing that most caregivers don’t ask for help themselves it is a good idea to take note on their daily habits to find ways where you could help without them even having to ask. Being over whelmed with their circumstances and also not wanting to be a burden other can be the main cause of Caregivers not asking for help.
That is why anyone who knows a caregiver of a cancer patient can follow these simple suggestions and ideas in order to help without over stepping their boundaries. This could be as a simple as sending a them a text that you made too much food and will be over to bring them dinner. Taking the pressure of the caregiver for one night. This may not seem like a very impactful act but having one less task to take care of takes the mental load off the caregiver. Other ideas could include;
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Cooking or ordering their favourite foods
- Cleaning while they are there or even before they come home from a hospital visit
- Shopping for essential items
- Yard work or even small talks around the home
- Childcare or even eldercare
- Driving to Doctor visits or hospital stays
- Picking up their Children or bringing them to
- Going to the pharmacy
Helping them take care for themselves
Having all your time being consumed with the care of others can leave caregivers forgetting about their own needs. In doing so most caregivers don’t think about the over burn or neglecting of their own need results in a decline in care. That is why when they are able to take care of themselves they will in return also be able to give more effective and quality care to their cancer patience.
In order to help them take care of themselves think about simple gifts of time spent on their own regenerating and recuperating. A simple way to achieve this is by thinking what the caregiver loves to do in their spare time or as a hobby. These could include
- Books
- Games
- Selfcare products
- Vouchers
- Gift Baskets
- Day trips
Applying these simple tips you can make a significant difference in alleviating some of the stress for caregivers during these challenging times. Allowing them to recognize that other are thinking of them and are willing to help. More articles on similär topics in Health and Medicine.