According to WHO, In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, cancer claims almost 459,000 lives annually. Each year, around 734 000 people receive a cancer diagnosis; by 2040, the number will be roughly 50% higher.
World Cancer Day aims to increase public understanding of cancer as a major health concern and improve efforts to provide access to high-quality care, screening, early diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care.
While there are modern medical facilities where cancer may be treated, in-home care services can be employed to manage the sickness at home. These programs offer additional support to help the patient and family caregivers through the challenging and tiring cancer journey.
So, how do in-home care services assist with cancer management at home?
The Role of Homecare in the Treatment of Cancer
While undergoing chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, cancer patients often need specialized help. Caregivers offer temporary and ongoing care for your loved one to stay secure and comfortable at home. Here are some things a caregiver can do for you.
Daily Vital Signs Monitoring
According to a growing body of studies, patients who regularly checked and reported their symptoms and vital signs lived longer and had greater quality of life than those who did not.
In a hospital’s cancer ward, nurses are taught to track and record patients’ blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature. Providers of in-home care services can also carry out the same duties. These vital signs may be tracked and recorded in an app or digital system, making them available to medical professionals.
Communication
Communication with the cancer patient is one of the caregiver’s primary responsibilities. Isolation, dissatisfaction, and misunderstandings often arise from a lack of communication. Select an appropriate time for both of you to have a conversation. Be attentive to the person’s thoughts and feelings while expressing your own.
Encourage Physical Activity
Patients with cancer can control their symptoms and enhance their general wellbeing by engaging in regular physical activity. Encourage the patient to perform modest exercises, such as stretching or walking, as needed.
Remember that caring for a cancer patient at home may need help. Asking for assistance from family, friends, or medical personnel when necessary is nothing to be ashamed of.
Pain Management Support
One of the main side effects of cancer therapy is pain. Patients constantly feel discomfort, which needs effective management. Patients experience severe pain as the illness worsens. The NRS Scale must be continuously used to measure pain. You can do this at home.
The in-home service providers frequently check the patient’s pain levels and other vital signs and communicate the results to the specialist, who can then decide which medications to put in first. As advised by the physician, these service providers can also provide painkillers.
Nutritional Support
During therapy, it’s common for patients not to feel hungry. If that is the case, serve them a larger meal when they are hungry. Provide three smaller meals rather than five or six large ones if they want them.
A specific diet is necessary for cancer patients to preserve their health and manage side symptoms, including nausea and vomiting. Making meals and snacks following the patient’s dietary needs might be seen as part of home care.
Counseling Support
Cancer is a disease that affects more than just the patient. The entire family is impacted. The patient battles the illness on a physical and emotional level. However, the patient’s family members also experience various emotions as they watch their loved one struggle with the illness. Over time, there is a great deal of anxiety, hopelessness, helplessness, and guilt.
Counselors from in-home care providers are available to help the patient and the family deal with their mental states. They assist them in releasing the mental baggage that the sickness has caused them to accumulate. Additionally, they offer the family much-needed emotional support and a way to express their remorse.
Personal care
This can involve help with everyday tasks, including dressing, grooming, and using the bathroom. If you assist them with a bath, keep the water at a comfortable temperature. When you wash and dry, be gentle. Apply a water-based lotion to their skin after giving them a bath or shower and at other times during the day to prevent dry skin, which can be a treatment side effect. If they want to handle things alone, let them, but offer assistance when needed.
Wrapping Up!
A significant number of cancer patients choose to spend their sickness at home in the company of their loved ones. They need the warmth and emotional support that can only be obtained at home. If you’re looking for compassionate in-home care for your family members Contact Sequoia Senior Solutions right away. We enable the patients to continue their cancer treatment while remaining at home and making priceless memories.
We hope this blog has given you a thorough overview of home care for cancer patients and that you feel prepared and equipped to provide your loved one with the finest care possible. To find out more about our services and how we can help your loved ones, get in touch with Sequoia Senior Solutions today.