Once your aging family member receives a cancer diagnosis, both of you might experience a shift in your perspective. There are some answers you need to get right away and some steps your senior might want to take that can help her to cope.
Senior Care in Markham: Cancer Diagnosis Tips
Consider Joining a Support Group Now
Support groups made up of other cancer patients are a great way for your elderly family member to realize that she’s not alone. As she meets other people who are dealing with similar situations, she can learn what has helped them to cope and what might help her. These meetings can also let her vent her feelings and work through them in a healthy way.
Talk about What She Wants Her Care to Look Like
You might not have talked about it with your elderly family member, but she may have some specific ideas about how she wants her care plan to look as her illness progresses. She may not want feeding tubes, for instance, but if you don’t know that you can’t adhere to her wishes. These talks are difficult, but they’re necessary.
Get Paperwork in Order
There’s a lot of paperwork that might be necessary both now and in the future. If you haven’t gotten it all organized yet, you still have some time. Do what you can to manage all of this now so that you do not have to figure it all out later when your senior needs you more.
Does She Want to Be Involved in Planning Her Funeral?
For some seniors, planning their own funeral gives them a sense of control that their illness has taken away. Others don’t want to be involved in funeral planning at all. If you and your aging family member haven’t had this conversation yet, it’s another piece to the puzzle that you need to work out with her.
Put Solutions in Place to Make Life Easier
This is a time when life is going to feel really out of control for you as a caregiver and for your aging family member. Hiring senior care providers allows you to expand what you’re able to accomplish as a caregiver. You can delegate tasks to an experienced home care provider while you handle issues that you have to handle yourself. This can extend your energy and your attention span.
Having a plan can help your senior and you to feel a little better about what is to come. Knowing what your senior wants relieves a lot of pressure from you as her caregiver that you’re doing the right things.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Markham, please contact the caring professionals at Staff Relief Health Care 24/7 at (905)-709-1767.
About Susan Di Michele
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