How Can You Help Your Senior Feel Confident About Their Lung Cancer Treatment Options?
Deciding what treatment option is right for them after being diagnosed with lung cancer can be one of the most difficult choices your senior ever makes.
When they are facing this disease, your parent should choose the treatment approach they feel most confident in, and that feels right for them as an individual, not just because a medical team told them that it is what they should do. As a family caregiver, you can help your parents to feel more in control, and improve their mental and emotional health as they move into this journey by helping them to feel more confident in their treatment options.
Caregiver in Culpeper County VA: Lung Cancer Treatment
Some of the ways you can help your senior feel confident about their lung cancer treatment options include:
Don’t rush them into a decision. Make sure they understand that while it is important to get started on treatment soon after diagnosis, they don’t need to make this decision immediately. Giving them time to process the diagnosis, and really think through this decision will help them to feel more confident that they have made the decision that is right for them.
Let them know it’s alright to ask for a second opinion. Many elderly adults are uncomfortable with the thought of telling their doctor they want to talk to a different doctor, that they are choosing a different medical team, or that they want an opinion from someone else. Help your parents understand that it is not only acceptable for them to ask for a second opinion, but it can also be extremely beneficial.
Simply because your senior has been seeing the same doctor for a long time, or this is the doctor they were assigned at the beginning of their experience of cancer, does not mean it has to be at this doctor throughout the entire journey. They have the right to seek out a medical team that has the same thoughts and beliefs regarding treatment that they do, and that will support them throughout their experience in the way that is right for them.
Make sure they understand all of the different options that are available to them. It is very likely the doctor will give a few recommendations, or may tell your parent the type of treatment they think is right. Help your senior to understand this is not the only option, and there are likely other approaches available to them. Help them to research the different options, talk to different experts, and really understand all of the potential treatments so they can truly choose the one that is right for them.
Reassure them that you are there for them. Help your senior feel assured that you are there for them both as their family caregiver, and as their adult child. Even if you disagree with the type of treatment they have chosen, reassure them that you support them, respect them, and want them to feel good about how they will approach their fight with cancer
Starting elder care for your aging parent is not a way for you to take over their life, or not be involved as a family caregiver.
Instead, introducing an elderly home care services provider into your care routine with your parent is a way to show compassion, nurturing, and love to your senior in another way. By having this type of care in your parent’s life, you can feel absolutely confident your senior is getting a level of support and assistance they need to properly manage their challenges and complications, while also pursuing a lifestyle they enjoy.
Difficulties such as no longer being able to drive, mobility issues, health problems, low vision, and more can keep your parent from engaging in activities that used to enjoy and can threaten their health and safety. The customized services of an elder care provider, however, are specifically tailored to help them support their health, keep them in their own home, and also allows them to stay more active as they age. This not only gives your parent more control over their lives, but also helps you, as a family caregiver, to experience less stress, and feel more confident that their needs will be met in the ways that are right for them.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring a Caregiver in Culpeper County, VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care. Call Us Today at (703) 634-9991.
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