Receiving the news that a senior loved one has been diagnosed with cancer is incredibly difficult. It’s hard to know what to say or how to react, because you’re processing your own emotions and coming to terms with the reality as best as you can.
The individual is likely overwhelmed by the diagnosis and might be unsure how to go about reaching out for help or what to ask for. However, they will certainly need a friend or a loved one to lean on, even if they’re not asking for it directly.
Take a look at the following gestures that you can offer your family member or friend to brighten up their day.
At-home Care
A gift that keeps on giving for any cancer patient is at-home caregiving. When you’re unable to be there for them 24-7, at-home healthcare gives you the peace of mind that they’re looked after and that they have companionship and ongoing support.
Find a home healthcare provider that offers palliative care for cancer patients as well as other regular services such as cooking, cleaning, and daily support. Palliative care is critical for individuals with cancer and other serious conditions because it adds an extra layer of emotional and psychological support.
At-home care will help to keep your loved one mentally and physically active because their professional caregiver will engage with them and ensure that they get enough exercise. They’ll also help to clean the house and make it tidy, which is important for someone who might not have the energy to clean everyday.
Deliver Home-made Meals on Wheels
A thoughtful way to treat your loved one is to surprise them with homemade goodies. Create a care package of a couple of day’s worth of dinners and snacks. Often with medical treatments such as chemotherapy, patients feel drained of energy and the last thing they’ll want to do is make dinner at the end of the day.
Sending meals over in secure Tupperware containers with a kind note will surely boost their mood a little bit, if not alleviate the stress of thinking about dinner or lunch and how to prepare it.
Give the Healing Power
of a Massage
What’s better than a getting a gentle and soothing massage? Cancer patients with body pain benefit greatly from massage therapy. Massage therapy increases blood flow and slows down the heart. It alleviates body pain as well as ridding the body and mind of stress, and is excellent for seniors diagnosed with cancer.
Regular massage sessions have been known to decrease depression and anxiety and improve quality of sleep. This might be because massage triggers the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps us to feel calm. Cancer patients suffer from many side effects, and with regular massage therapy they can look forward to some temporary relief.
In fact, find an at-home senior healthcare service that also provides at-home massage therapy. Your loved one won’t even have to leave their home to find joy and pain-relief.
Cancer is scary, no matter how you look at it. There is no right or wrong thing to say to someone when they’ve been diagnosed. However, you can show your friend or family member that you love them and care for them just by being there for them and offering support when they need it.
