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Cancer Caregivers
You care for their needs.
We’ll do everything we can to help you with yours.
At OhioHealth, we consider the caregiver as part of the cancer patient's team, knowing you are the main support for your loved one.
We understand the caregiver is the person on our patient's team who connects with the doctors, the treatment appointments, the medications and more.
We know the caregiver spends the most time with the cancer patient and so recognizes the changes and needs in the patient more than anyone else, providing critical information about the patient's well-being.
We understand you're the one on the front line of care 24 x 7 and sometimes you, too, need support -- because caregiving is a responsibility that never lets up.
Our Cancer Care Patient Navigators are not only a support for our cancer patients, but also for you. They are here to help with any questions or needs you may have, even if it’s simply someone to talk to who understands what you’re going through.
We invite you to browse the tabs above for helpful information, insight and advice that will help guide you through your uniquely important role as a caregiver.
Your loved one was just told “It’s cancer.”
Be there for them in their time of need.
The moment someone learns they have cancer can be devastating. Nothing can adequately prepare a loved one for such news. Everything changes. And as their caregiver, your relationship must change from that of friend or partner, sibling or spouse, to that of attendant.
Your role as caregiver can be gratifying, heartwarming, and filled with moments you will treasure forever. But it can also be exhausting, confusing and disheartening and -- in this beginning phase of diagnosis -- frightening. What are you suppose to do? How will you manage caregiving with an already full life?
A million questions rush in, and you may feel lost under the crush of them.
We're here to answer your questions and provide guidance. Consider this website a place to turn to for information. We suggest you visit our FAQ, where a great many of your questions may be answered.
Tips from Caregivers for Caregivers
Caregivers shared their caregiving experiences with us, providing helpful information for those newly assuming this important, compassionate role. Here are their tips:
- Meet with your patient navigator as soon as possible.
- Assess how much personal time caregiving is going to take.
- Learn how to accept the help of others.
- Make routine household plans to simplify one part of your life.
- Don’t be concerned if your friends disappear. It happens.
- Find someone to talk to about your feelings and emotions.
- Ask questions of your cancer care team.
For expanded information about these tips, please visit our Caregiving Tips page.
Treatment can be tough on your loved one.
Help them be tougher.
As a caregiver of a cancer patient, your role and responsibilities continue to increase as treatment progresses, and it can be easy to lose oneself in the process. As you continue to look after your loved one’s emotional and physical health, it is important for you also to look after your own emotional and physical health.
This isn't easy. Any spare time you have is consumed with caregiving, on top of your routine responsibilities. To survive, you may become like a robot, trying to get everything done without emotion, which is a natural response, as you try to stay on top of everything, including your emotions.
We’re here to help you keep your life in balance; to find support groups and classes that can offer perspective and enlightenment; to connect you with people to talk to, as well as with other, additional resources to help you take care of yourself while you help your loved one heal.
Please consider this website a great place to turn to for information. We suggest you visit our the FAQ, where a great many of your questions may be answered.
Tips from Caregivers for Caregivers
Caregivers shared their caregiving experiences with us, providing helpful information about taking care of a loved one going through cancer treatment. Here are their tips:
- Give assignments to family and friends.
- Learn when it’s important to say “no.”
- Take time to record instructions.
- Create a document to track medications.
- Find someone to get you out of “the infirmary.”
- Ask questions of your cancer care team.
For expanded information about these tips, please visit our Caregiving Tips page.
Just because their cancer treatment is done doesn’t mean your
responsibility is.
They beat their cancer. But they may still need you.
You’ve done an amazing thing by helping your loved one overcome cancer. But even though they are cancer-free, your role as Caregiver remains important as their needs shift from the short-term physical to the long-term emotional and psychological aspects of cancer survivorship.
A major part of survivorship is sharing. Encouraging your loved one to share his or her stories and experiences with others helps to give their ordeal purpose, and gives other patients perspective and hope. We offer a host of emotional support groups and classes and numerous health and wellness resources.
Please consider this website a great place to turn to for information. We suggest you visit our FAQ, where a great many of your questions may be answered.
Tips from Caregivers for Caregivers
Caregivers shared their caregiving experiences with us, providing helpful information about the caregiving role after their loved one is cancer-free . Here are their tips:
- Keep an eye on your loved one.
- Stay healthy together.
- Ask questions of your cancer care team.
For expanded information about these tips, please visit our Caregiving Tips page.
You’ve probably got a lot of questions.
We've certainly got a lot of answers.
How do I approach my loved one who has cancer?
The American Cancer Society has this to say:
Try to involve your loved one as much as possible in your approach to their care, so they know they are doing their part to get better and not be a burden to you.
Some things you can try to do to keep your loved one involved are to let them know you are available, but don't press issues. Take your cues from them. Some people are very private while others will talk more about what they are going through. Respect their need to share, or their need to remain quiet.
Caregivers who are realistic, but positive; careful, but creative; and focused, but flexible are sources of strength and security for cancer patients. Good communication with the person you are caring for is the most important part of your role. |
How do I manage the stress of caregiving, when added to an already full life?
We understand that caregivers can experience stress and exhaustion in a way that’s very different from the stress of everyday life. That’s because the role can sometimes become overwhelming and isolating, resulting in feelings of selfishness or guilt from wanting relief from all that’s involved. It’s important to seek help if the weight of your caregiving responsibility becomes too heavy. Start by asking our Patient Navigators for helpful information, resources and support groups.
Here are some additional online resources that may help:
What about my needs and feelings?
Caring for your mind, body and spirit |
How does a caregiver fit into the cancer care team?
The caregiver is an important part of a patient’s cancer care team. He or she helps their loved one prepare for medical visits, absorb and react to medical information and advice, communicate with physicians and clinicians and much more.
The National Cancer Institute offers helpful information on their web page about talking with the healthcare team. |
If we have children, how do we go about telling them about the cancer?
According to the National Cancer Institute (PDF), children start to understand the world around them at a very young age. It is important to be honest with them. They need to know the truth about your loved one. Otherwise, they will think the worst. Let them know how you feel, too. For more tips on talking with kids, visit the National Cancer Institute’s website. |
What counseling is available for other family members (especially children)?
Riverside Methodist Hospital offers KidShare, a program specifically focused on children of people with cancer. The program is designed to help children of cancer patients better understand and cope with their parent's cancer diagnosis and treatment. Funded by a grant from the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, this program helps families share feelings, concerns, worries, questions and understanding of how cancer will affect their family. KidShare also offers family-oriented special events outside the hospital setting, as well. For more information about KidShare, please contact CancerCall at 1-800-752-9119 or 614-566-3022 or CancerCall@ohiohealth.com.
The local office of The American Cancer Society has its own Patient Navigator who can help you find family counseling resources and other important resources. Call (800) 227-2345.
Another resource:
Kids Konnected (for children and teens who have a parent with cancer and for those who have lost a parent to cancer) Toll-free number: 1-800-899-2866 website: www.kidskonnected.org |
What emotional challenges does a caregiver face?
Being a caregiver for a cancer patient is a demanding role, filled with many emotions for both the caregiver and the patient. The American Cancer Society lists some common situations that can be emotionally challenging:
- Your spouse or partner may only feel comfortable with you as caregiver.
- Your parent may have a hard time accepting help from you (their adult child) since she's always been used to caring for you.
- Your adult child with cancer may not want to rely on his parents for care.
- You may have health problems yourself, making it physically and emotionally more difficult to take care of someone else.
While there are many more challenges facing caregivers, there are also many ways to cope with them. The American Cancer Society’s Adjusting to Being a Caregiver is a place to get tips and information.
Also, the National Cancer Institute has a Caregiver’s Bill of Rights. It’s a helpful guide when faced with the challenges of caregiving. |
What if they are keeping information from me? How will I know and how do I go about asking?
The American Cancer Society has a very insightful perspective on the challenges presented to caregivers, which OhioHealth shares. |
What is a caregiver?
A caregiver is usually a spouse, partner or adult child who devotes time and assistance in the day-to-day care, support and decision-making for a loved one living with a serious health condition, such as cancer. Often helping communicate a patient’s needs to the medical team, providing feedback about symptoms, reactions or other possible issues of concern the patient experiences, a caregiver’s role is hugely important to the emotional and physical wellbeing of a cancer patient, especially as a source of strength and compassion. |
What responsibilities does a caregiver have with a cancer patient?
Responsibilities for the caregiver vary, depending on the cancer patient’s condition. They can range from assisting with transportation and paperwork to feeding and bathing the patient. The American Cancer Society provides more information on their web page, What does a caregiver do? |
What support groups are available to caregivers?
Breast Cancer Support Group
Offers information and education for survivors and their support person
Call Susan Bunevich, RN, Breast Health Nurse,
(614) 566-9654 to register.
Westerville Medical Campus: Free
You can also contact the National Family Caregivers Association or your local chapter of the American Cancer Society for a list in your area. Be sure to find a group that fits your needs and situation. Support Groups often are set up by age groups and cancer types.
(Link):
The American Cancer Society has its own Patient Navigator who can help you find cancer care-giving resources and other important information:
American Cancer Society Patient Navigator Office — Franklin County Area
870 Michigan Ave.
American Cancer Society Central Regional Office
Columbus, OH 43215
(800) 227-2345 |
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You’re focused on helping your loved one.
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(800) 564-2131
Helps adults find peace and closure with the realization of a final wish.
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A keyword-searchable database of over 1,100 national, international, model and online self-help support groups for addictions, bereavement, health, mental health, disabilities, abuse, parenting, caregiver concerns and many other stressful life situations. |
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