5 Tips On How To Take Care for Cancer Patient at Home

Take Care Of Cancer Patients At Home - Activ Together

When a loved one is suffering from an illness, it can affect the whole family. Cancer especially can be very stressful to deal with, both for the patient and the person caring for them. Here is a checklist of the basic needs of cancer patients, which will help make their home-care more organised and effective.

5 Ways To Care For Someone With Cancer

Make The Room Comfortable And Lively

Hospital rooms are dull and colourless which can make them very boring. But when a cancer patient is home, they should be able to enjoy a splash of colour. The patient’s bedroom can be made to look livelier to cheer them up. Colourful curtains, bedsheets, and cushions can brighten up a room. Favourite paintings and show pieces can also be added to the room to make it look welcoming. The patient needs a lot of rest and will be spending a lot of time in that room, so get them books, a TV, or anything they might like; to keep them occupied and entertained. This will help keep the patient in a better mood while they recover. Most common cancer types are curable at an earlier stage so keep the stress around it at a minimum.

Create A Treatment And Appointments Calendar

Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation have to follow a schedule. Make a calendar where all upcoming treatments, doctor’s appointments, and other important dates are noted down. This will remove the stress of having to mentally remember everything. A proper calendar will also ensure that appointments are not missed, as well as that the patient gets the right care at the right time.

Use A Time Table To Remember Medicine Timings

Along with a calendar for appointments, also keep a time table for medication. All medicines need to be given in the right dosage, at the right time. Use the doctor’s prescription and make a chart that clearly states the time that each medicine has to be taken at, and how many tablets of each. It might help to colour code the chart based on the colour of the tablets to make them easier to identify.

Control The Number Of Visitors

Cancer patients have low immunity which is why they need to be protected from germs. Besides keeping the home clean, it is important to keep track of the visitors coming in to see the patient. Restrict the number of visitors to one or two a day and at a time that is comfortable for the patient. Most importantly, make sure that none of the visitors have any type of infection. No one with a cough, cold, recovering from fever, or any other illness should be allowed to get too close to the patient. This might seem harsh, but it is necessary to secure your loved ones from cancer complications in the future.

Take Some Time Off

Caring for a cancer patient can be physically and mentally tiring. Care-givers need to take care of their own health so that they can provide the right care to the patient. All care-givers should take a break at least once a week and get some rest or a change of scene. A family member or close friend can fill in during that time so that the patient is not alone. If it is not possible for someone close to you to be there, a private nurse can be hired to come in for a few hours each week.

With these guidelines in place, caregivers of cancer patients can be better prepared for the journey ahead. Visit out blog on health and lifestyle for more information on topics like early signs and symptoms of cancer and blood cancer facts.