Colon and rectal cancer caregiver support
Being educated helps lighten the burden.
As a caregiver, you may worry about the person you're caring for as well as about
how to balance that role with the rest of your responsibilities. Being educated
about the disease, treatment options, side effects, and additional sources of support,
can help both you and the patient.
Here are some suggestions for people caring for those with cancer:
Get to know the topic:
There are a number of places where you can find information about colon and rectal
cancer:
- Your local library
- Your doctor's office
- The Internet. Start with the
resources section of this Web site
Treatments for colon and rectal cancer change and improve over time,
so make sure what you're reading about colon or rectal cancer is up to date. Also,
not everything you read will apply to the person you’re caring for. So always discuss
what you read or what you don't understand with the patient's doctors or nurses.
Talk to your family:
If you’re caring for a family member with colon or rectal cancer, you probably know
that cancer can change family life in several ways. Typical family reactions
include the following:
- Stress or fear about the well-being and health outcomes of the person with cancer
- Worry about medical bills
- Sadness or anger about disrupted family life
Talk to other people:
If the person you’re caring for is a family member, sharing your concerns with people
outside the family can help you cope with your concerns. Sometimes it’s
easier to talk to people who aren’t relatives, especially if you think showing your
fears could scare other family members even more. Here are some people you might
consider talking to:
- Doctors or nurses
- Social workers from the hospital
- Support groups
- Mental health professionals
Find out about additional
colorectal cancer resources