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Canopy Cancer Care Discuss The Role of the Caregiver

Monday 20 May 2019, 1:11PM

By Beckie Wright

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Caring for a loved one with cancer is an important job, but it also has its challenges.  A recently released episode of Canopy TV (www.canopycancercare.co.nz/canopytv) focusses on just that.  The caregivers that were interviewed (which can be found on their website) all admit that their job can be very challenging.  They say it is something you are thrown into immediately, so it is something you are not prepared for. Also, you are going through something that is very stressful and traumatic.

They also say that what really changes when you’re a caregiver is that your relationship with that person changes. Having been in a relationship with someone as their partner, you are now their caregiver, and that has its ebbs and flows. The partner is someone going through their own issue, and they need support too.

Caregivers also say that the biggest stress is watching their partner go through treatment, especially to watch someone so strong, to watch the physical changes is difficult and watching them slowly weaken. They also have to work through the idea that the person they are supporting may not always be there.

Some caregivers have talked about the guilt they feel at leaving their partner at home while they have to go to work. For some caregivers asking for help can be hard, and it is really important that they get the support they need so that they can care for the person who is having the treatment. Many caregivers don’t know what help to ask for, as they don’t know what they need.  Support Crew.co is a great tool that many supporters use to reach out to their network and get the practical help and support they need.

Also, people normally find it difficult to ask for help when they are overwhelmed with stress. They struggle to ask for help as they don’t want to seem like a failure; of course they should be able to do it all themselves, which is of course impossible. Caregivers need to acknowledge that they do need time to themselves and they have to learn how to ask for help, so they can stay strong for their partner.

Canopy Cancer Care provide specialist private cancer care in Auckland (Epsom and North Shore), Tauranga and now in Whangarei, New Zealand, so for more information on cancer treatment NZ,  private cancer treatment and integrative oncology please go to https://www.canopycancercare.co.nz .