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What You Need to Know Before Becoming a Cancer Caregiver

In-Home Care in Henderson NV
In-Home Care in Henderson NV

A caregiver is a person who helps an older adult diagnosed with cancer, whether it’s a friend or a family member. Usually, the primary caregiver is a spouse, parent, partner, or adult child. Close friends, neighbors, or colleagues may fill this role if the family is not around. When a senior has cancer, support is critical to the emotional and physical well-being of the patient. With cancer treatments given in outpatient centers, hiring a professional in-home care service is a good idea.

Certified caregivers have many roles that change depending on the senior’s needs during cancer treatment. In addition, in-home care experts also serve as companions and aides. They help dress, feed, and bathe older adults. This gives you time to focus on other critical aspects of treatment, like arranging schedules, providing transportation, and managing insurance issues.
If you lead a busy lifestyle, a professional in-home care provider can step in as a housekeeper, companion and mobility assistant while ensuring your loved one gets quality care. Even though caring for a cancer patient is a moral obligation, there’s a time you may need help. A trained caregiver can handle the heavy lifting, allowing you to take some time for yourself.

Know What You Can Do

As mentioned, caring for an older loved one with cancer is admirable. However, there’s a time when it can take a toll on you, regardless of your intentions. The reality is that caring for a sick senior for a long period by yourself is not realistic. Consider working with a professional to leverage the expertise and experience of dealing with a cancer patient.

Introducing in-home care to help care for your older loved one gives you peace of mind knowing your senior is getting the best help at home. Cancer is a progressive disease, and without the knowledge to detect new or pre-existing symptoms can be fatal. Alleviate the guesswork and rigorous schedule a consultation with a reputable in-home care service. You can also rely on home caregivers to access specialized equipment needed for treatment.

In-Home Care Services

Cancer no longer requires inpatient treatment since patients can receive proper care within the comfort of their homes. Hence, finding the right health and personal service goes a long way in ensuring proper recovery and mitigating advanced diseases. Trained professionals can help follow the doctor’s instructions and prescriptions to enhance recovery and improve the overall quality of life. Different diagnoses determine the type of care, which can be difficult for an untrained person to provide.
In-home care providers can help get specialized experts and compassionate care at home instead of hospitals or other facilities. This is also a cost-effective solution since all the care will be provided at home without regularly scheduled appointments.

Before you take the responsibility of caring for an older adult with cancer, consult a professional to ensure the level of quality meets the standards to improve your senior’s well-being.

URLs:
https://www.cancer.net/coping-with-cancer/caring-loved-one/tips-being-successful-caregiver
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/caregiver-support

If you are considering in-home care in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.

Home Care Assistance Supports Seniors During Breast Cancer Treatments

Home Care Assistance in Summerlin NV
Home Care Assistance in Summerlin NV

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here are a few facts you should know about this common type of cancer. First, the highest number of new cases is found in the 65 to 69 age group. Second, the highest number of total breast cancer cases is highest in people between the ages of 70 and 74.

Your mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is about to undergo treatments. Most breast cancer patients undergo a biopsy first and then the common treatment plan is the surgical removal of the cancerous mass, chemotherapy, and radiation.

If this is the treatment plan for your mom, she’s going to require a lot of support at her appointments and at home. What arrangements should your family make to ensure she has the help she needs?

Help Her Around the Home

Your mom may not have the energy needed to properly clean her home. A home care assistance provider could make her bed, change and wash her sheets and towels, and run a vacuum. Her caregiver can water her plants, get the mail, and wipe down counters and other hard surfaces to clean up stains and kill germs.

She might struggle to cook meals that appeal to her. If she’s dealing with nausea, she might find only certain foods are palatable. Having someone else available to cook meals and bring beverages to her is helpful.

Provide Companionship

Your mom may be comforted to know someone is in the house and can help. If your mom is feeling particularly ill, it can be comforting to know that there is someone there to talk to or to alert her doctor if she seems to be dehydrated or too weak to function.

Arrange Transportation

Your mom needs someone to drive her to appointments. Until she knows how she’ll feel after chemo or radiation treatments, she shouldn’t drive on her own. Make sure you or another family member has the day off to be with her. If she wants moral support in the medical office, be there for her.

She’ll also need someone to drive her to the pharmacy to pick up any medications she needs. She might want to have someone with her when buying groceries and home goods or when running errands

If you can’t take enough time off work to drive her to all of her appointments and help her run errands, make sure you arrange to have others free to drive her. If other family members also have limited time in their schedule, arrange transportation with home care aides.

What home care assistance services will most help your mom during treatments? It’s important to talk to an advisor to make sure you’re not overlooking anything that you haven’t thought of. Call today.

Sources:
https://gis.cdc.gov/Cancer/USCS/#/Demographics/

If you are considering home care assistance in Henderson, NV, for an aging loved one, please contact the caring staff at Golden Heart Senior Care of Summerlin. 702-800-4616.