100 Questions & Answers About Caring for Family or Friends with Cancer

by Susannah L. Rose, Richard T. Hara

Overview

Whether you are a friend or relative of someone suffering from cancer, 100 Questions & Answers About Caring for Family or Friends with Cancer, Second Edition offers support. The only book available providing both the professional healthcare giver's and patient's views, it gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, home care, insurance, quality of life, and much more. Completely revised and updated, 100 Questions & Answers About Caring for Family or Friends with Cancer, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for family and friends who are coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of cancer. © 2011 | 226 pages

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449620318
Publisher:	Jones & Bartlett Learning
Publication date:	10/15/2009
Series:	100 Q&AS Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	226
File size:	503 KB

About the Author

Harvard University
Director, Online Services, CancerCare, New York, New York

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Part 1 The Basics 1

Questions 1-6 introduce the basics of cancer and what it means to be a caregiver:

How is cancer treated?

What can I say to people who have cancer? What shouldn't I say?

How do I offer to help a person with cancer?

Part 2 Managing Medical Treatment and Care 13

Questions 7-26 cover concerns regarding many aspects of a patient's treatment, including the people who will be involved, where to find more information, and choosing between treatment options:

Who is the best doctor to treat this cancer? How do I find that doctor?

Where can I find reliable information about cancer?

How do I know whether we are making the best treatment decisions?

Part 3 Helping Your Loved One Cope 43

Questions 27-39 discuss ways to assist your loved one in dealing with the emotional and physical effects of cancer:

How do I help my loved one better manage the emotional "ups" and "downs"?

How do I help my partner manage the stress? The cancer diagnosis, upcoming surgery, and possible chemotherapy and radiation therapy all seem so overwhelming. Where do I begin?

What can help my loved one to relax during treatments and tests?

Part 4 Caring for Yourself 63

Questions 40-48 address ways for caregivers to manage their own stress and emotions while caring for a loved one with cancer:

Thinking about the future and everything that has to be done-how can I manage this practically?

I have not seen my friends for weeks. Sometimes I feel that I just need to get away from the hospital, doctors, and the cancer for a while. How can I do this without feeling too guilty?

What are support groups and how can they help me? If I decide to try outa group, how do I locate one right for me?

Part 5 Relationship and Family Issues 79

Questions 49-69 describe concerns about the effects of cancer on personal and family relationships:

How do I get away from feeling that the cancer is our entire life?

I feel that my husband and I are growing apart since his cancer diagnosis. Why is this happening?

How do I know if my children are having problems coping?

Part 6 Home Care, Medical Equipment, Placement, and Other Practical Matters 123

Questions 70-75 focus on care after the patient is released from the hospital:

My husband just had colon surgery, and we were just told by the doctor that he no longer needs to stay in the hospital. Are we really going to be able to manage his care at home?

Can we get a hospital bed for my husband when he returns home from the hospital?

What is a skilled nursing facility? How does my father get into one?

Part 7 Insurance Issues 137

Questions 76-82 address financial and insurance-related questions:

How can we protect our family financially while being faced with expensive treatments for cancer?

What is Medicare?

Prescription drug coverage is getting so expensive, even though we have insurance. Is there anything I can do to reduce this expense?

Part 8 Work Concerns 147

Questions 83-88 discuss how to handle work-related issues after your loved one has been diagnosed with cancer:

Whom should I tell at work that my family member has cancer?

I have to go to work for financial reasons, but I feel so bad about leaving my husband to go to medical appointments without me. How can I do my job and not feel so guilty?

Will my partner be able to continue working during radiation therapy and chemotherapy?

Part 9 Emotional Reactions and Practical Concerns about Death and Dying 157

Questions 89-100 offer answers to questions about how to deal with loss or the possibility of a loved one dying:

What is hospice?

What is a healthcare proxy and living will?

What are the tasks of grieving, and what does it feel like?

Appendix 177

Glossary 189

Index 195