At home medical equipment probably wasn’t ever on your shopping list before now. Why would it be? Providing mesothelioma home care is something no one ever foresaw having to do. Mesothelioma is a sneaky disease; it lies dormant for years following the asbestos exposure that caused it. But when mesothelioma emerges, it does so with swift merciless force. As mesothelioma progresses, you may find yourself and your loved one in need of at home medical equipment to make home care easier for you as a caregiver and for your mesothelioma patient. According to the caregiver resource book The Comfort … [Read more...]
Caregiver Support
4 Online Sites that Enable Mesothelioma Families to Organize Help
“What can I do to help?” is a question mesothelioma families often hear but don’t know how to answer. It is hard to say, “How about going to the grocery store for me?” or “Well, you can come over and clean my house?” You don’t have to. You can get a little help from your friends and neighbors in a coordinated non-embarrassing way with a little help from the internet. A handful of online sites provide ways to give people the opportunity to sign on to do as much or as little as they can. All it takes is one person – a friend, relative or neighbor – to create a virtual sign-up sheet and email a … [Read more...]
20 Things Mesothelioma Patients Want You to Know
You may think that there isn’t much anyone can do to help mesothelioma patients. You may need to think again. There actually are many things you can do to help mesothelioma patients. They may seem like little things but they matter. Because people often feel overwhelmed by the idea of terminal illness and do not know what to say, they may stay away from someone suffering from mesothelioma. This isolation can just compound the suffering. People basically want to be kind and supportive to mesothelioma patients. They just don’t know how. Lung cancer patient Lori Hope – she began using her … [Read more...]
Mesothelioma Caregiver Tips: How to Cope in the Waiting Room
As a responsible mesothelioma caregiver, you are committed to being there for the mesothelioma patient in your life and seeing to it that they get all the medical care they need. So you show up for all medical appointments on time with your loved one who is suffering from mesothelioma. You rush to get there and soon you’re sitting alone in the waiting room. It’s a case of “hurry up and wait” again and again. Because of the importance of your role as a mesothelioma caregiver, you want to try to stay positive. But it’s hard when you’re staring at the wall in the waiting room of the doctor’s … [Read more...]
How to Keep a Mesothelioma Patient’s Room Allergen-Free
For the mesothelioma patient, spring brings the pleasures of blossoming trees, flower buds and fresh new grass. But even if the mesothelioma patient didn’t have seasonal allergies before, the progression of their illness and its treatment may make them more vulnerable to the seasonal effects of pollen. Seasonal allergies – sneezing, runny nose, burning eyes – could worsen a mesothelioma patient’s symptoms and prevent them from getting the rest they need to feel their best. Here are some suggestions from the Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic … [Read more...]
Mesothelioma Caregiver, Don’t Forget to Care For You, Too
As a mesothelioma caregiver, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself. Your loved one is ill and your time with them is limited. But as rewarding and important as the role of mesothelioma caregiver can be, is also tough and in many ways relentless. And often physically and emotionally draining. Know that you are not alone. According to a recent article in USA Weekend, more than 65 million Americans are serving as caregivers for loved ones by: Preparing meals Taking over household duties Managing doctor appointments and medications Providing full-time assistance in many … [Read more...]
Best Last-Minute Christmas Gifts For A Mesothelioma Patient
You’ve made your list and checked it twice. By now you’ve got Christmas gifts bought and wrapped for almost everyone on that list. But there may be no getting around the fact that you just don’t know what to get for your family member or friend who is a mesothelioma patient. And now you have to figure out something fast. We’ve scoured the internet for ideas for you and here are some of the best ones we’ve found. And remember even a gift card or homemade I.O.U. for a game of Scrabble can be placed in a box and wrapped in bright holiday paper. Event tickets – If the mesothelioma patient is … [Read more...]
Celebrating Caregivers with Caregiver Week – November 11 – 15
Caregivers give. It’s what you do. Some amazing people in this world choose to be caregivers. They’re the professionals – the doctors, the home health nurses, the radiation technicians and all the others who mesothelioma families come into contact with. But then there are all of you. You didn’t ask for this. You didn’t expect a husband or wife, a parent or offspring to develop mesothelioma but there it is. It’s your reality now so you are doing what you need to do. But a strange thing happens when family members become primary caregivers. They often stop taking care of themselves. They … [Read more...]
For Mesothelioma Families, SF’s New Caregiver Law Signals a Step in the Right Direction
Mesothelioma families often find themselves caught in a bind between caregiving needs and the demands of the workplace. The household member who is not afflicted with mesothelioma, often the wife whose husband developed mesothelioma from workplace exposure to asbestos, takes on the role of caregiver. The caregiver provides meals, medication management, symptom monitoring and personal care help at home for the mesothelioma patient. They may also drive the patient to and from medical appointments and lend support and another pair of ears during doctor visits. But at the same time, especially … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Support Someone with Mesothelioma
Knowing what to do or say when a loved one is diagnosed with mesothelioma can be difficult for many people. Often, you may feel torn between your feelings of extreme sadness and your desire to be a source of support for the person who is coping with the condition. Staying strong and showing the person in your life how much he or she means to you during mesothelioma treatment can be essential because it will provide him or her with a greater sense of peace and potential hope for the future. While it may seem difficult to figure out how best to show your devotion and care for a person … [Read more...]