Cancer
Cancer Articles for Caregivers
Cathy Yeulet
When Your Caregiving Days Are Over
I am a facilitator of a Cancer Caregiver Support Group in Ohio. In the course of our meetings, several topics surface. One that got my attention most recently was: How a caregiver moves on once their caregiving days are done.
Caregiving through a Doctor’s Eyes
Caregiving is universal. It knows no boundaries of age, race, religion, profession or economic status. Caregiving will touch all of our lives at some point along the way.
Laundry Night
“I had a dream last night about water,” my mother says as we dice cantaloupe and brew our morning coffee. “I woke up with wet sheets.”
16 Stress Reduction Strategies
The following coping strategies have helped me in my attempts to live a balanced life. Because caregiving is such a universal task, faced by nearly all of us at one time or another, I hope you find these strategies helpful as well.
The Only Child Caregiver’s Career
I am one among millions of statistically likely only-child caregivers working on my own to provide care within the caregiving community.
Melanoma Risk Factors
If someone you know or a family member is diagnosed with melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, you might wonder if you are at risk as well. Melanoma is when skin cells called melanocytes grow out of control and become cancerous.
Sun Protection More Important Than Ever
In a recent survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults, the American Academy of Dermatology found that while respondents gave themselves high ratings for sun protection and most reported that sun protection is more important to them now than...
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Comfort Zones Are Overrated
It’s all my husband’s fault. Because of his cancer diagnosis, I’ve had to take up hiking tall mountains, eating more nutritiously and stepping outside my comfort zone.
Ovarian Cancer Caregiving
An estimated 19,710 Americans will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023 – barring a big breakthrough, only half will be alive in 5 years
6:16 AM
Lung Cancer Care
Coping with the diagnosis of cancer is only the beginning of the journey. The entire process of diagnosis, treatment and changes in lifestyle are day by day hurdles for both caregiver and loved one.
© Katarzyna Białasiewicz@123rf
Effective Pain Management
Effective pain control improves the individual’s state of mind and ability to move through the healing process. There are a variety of options for pain control and doctors work toward addressing side effects that can occur with pain medications.
The Changing Room: A Caregiver’s Lament
It was just one more day where I sat and stared at the non-descript gray sign that read Women's Changing Room. There were some days when I imagined I was sitting in the locker room of a fancy golf club.
A Nice Touch
The day began ominously enough. Low clouds, shrouded in mourning colors, hung heavily in the sky, threatening to weep during the class at the Botanical Gardens.
Nine Ways to Get Someone to Eat
A common nutritional problem that can affect someone in poor health is wasting or loss of body mass called cachexia-anorexia. It often is seen in advanced stages of Alzheimer’s and cancer.
©Katarzyna Białasiewicz /123RF.COM
A Year of Alzheimer's
“It’s a Puh.. Puh… Puh… word.” I desperately explained to my husband. He turned his head away from me and walked into the other room. I stood there alone, bereft, defeated, feeling the tears burn through my embarrassment and frustration.
Akhararat _Wathanasing
The Art of Cancer Caregiving
A cancer diagnosis is incredibly stressful for the person receiving the diagnosis. But those caring for the patient, both informally and formally, also experience stress, which can affect their own health and the patient’s outcome.
©Katarzyna Białasiewicz /123RF.COM
The Trouble with Hope
I had a strained relationship with hope before my wife was diagnosed with cancer. To me, hope was a high waiting for a low, a fix with a nasty flip-side.
Keeping an Eye on Long-Term Health while Managing a Cancer Diagnosis
I remember hearing the doctor say to my husband, “You’ve got cancer,” and immediately wondered if I had misheard those words. Cancer diagnoses can result in many emotions for caregivers. You may struggle for another breath, cry...
Why Do We Attend Support Groups?
Especially after having gone through a life-threating illness? Do we want reminders of what may have been a difficult time for us? Apparently, we do.
