by Cassie Escriture

Created on: May 31, 2009

Caregivers play an essential role in cancer survival for patients. Cancer is a harrowing disease that wreaks havoc with patients emotionally as well as physically. Caregivers who are prepared for the disease play a crucial role in keeping a patient upbeat, positive, and compliant with their medication - all integral facets of surviving a cancer diagnosis.

First and foremost, caregivers are able to lend emotional support to cancer patients. When chemotherapy gets difficult or side effects are difficult for the patient to handle, caregivers can be respondent, listening to the patients concerns and finding ways to try to make things better. Specifically, dealing with the disease can be hard enough for patients, so if the patient desires, caregivers can be the ones to communicate regularly with the oncologist and the rest of the patient's medical team, letting the patient focus purely on survival rather than the logistics of scheduling treatments and other administrative issues. Perhaps most importantly, caregivers can lend emotional support by staying positive around the patient and keeping a good attitude. Though cancer is a terrible disease, it can be beaten, and caregivers can help patients remember and focus on that.

Additionally, caregivers can help with the patient's actual treatment. If the patient has oral medications, they can make sure the patient remains compliant, an essential action in surviving cancer. Caregivers can also make sure the patient is comfortable when receiving a chemotherapy infusion or radiation treatment, as these treatments can last for hours and typically happen on a weekly basis. Something as simple as keeping a patient company during those times can make a tremendous difference.

Finally, caregivers can help patients research their disease. A cancer diagnosis immediately raises questions about what it means to have the disease, what the treatment process will be like, and which treatments are available. By supporting the patient and becoming knowledgable about the specific type of cancer, caregivers can help ease patients' concerns by giving them as much information as possible and discussing options.

In the end, caregivers are immensely important to a patient's chances of survival. The majority of survivors thank their friends and family for support in the recovery process as much as they thank their oncologist. Not only can caregivers lend physical support by helping with treatment, but they can emotionally connect and support the patient in ways that greatly enhance a patient's ability to focus on themselves and beating the disease.

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