Suggestions for Managing Care at Home

Suggestions for Managing Care at Home
Taking Care of the Caregiver
Anxiety
Body Image Changes
Change and Uncertainty
Fatigue
Memory and Concentration
Nausea and Vomiting
Pain Managment

Suggestions for Managing Care at Home

• Ask questions of your doctor and nurse, do not make assumptions. If you are not sure, use the important phone numbers provided and call.
  
  
• Remember that you are a member of the healthcare team, and your input is important. Keep your nurse and doctor informed of any issues, questions, or concerns you may have.
  
  
• Review the symptom sheets provided if you are experiencing any symptoms.
  
  
• Review hints for self-care if you are the patient or the caregiver.
  
  
• Ask your family and friends for help before you are too fatigued.
  
  
• Keep a list of what friends can do, and delegate. For example, one person could drive you to an appointment, another could make a meal, and another could go to the grocery store.
  
  
• Organize your day as the patient and as the caregiver into manageable segments.
  
  
• Develop a schedule for each day and each week with your family and your caregiver. This process allows everyone to be in agreement with the goals for the day or week, as the case may be. If everyone is working with the same agenda, the tension within a family usually decreases. (Please see the appendix for a template of a daily schedule.)
  
  
• Stop by the Patient and Family Resource Center to pick up free copies of the informative National Cancer Institute publications, Taking Time and When Someone in Your Family Has Cancer.

Note: the staff at SCCA is here to support you as the patient and caregiver. Tell your physician or nurse if you need more support. Call your social worker for additional emotional support.