How to Help a Caregiver
For the Caregiver:
As a caregiver, you probably have many friends and
family members who want to help, but they are not sure what they
should do. Provide them with the list of suggestions below.
For the Friend of a Caregiver:
As a friend of a caregiver, you may sometimes feel helpless.
However, there are many ways that you can take action and help.
The list below will give you some helpful hints.
As the friend of a caregiver, what
can you do to help?
Things to DO:
• DO offer to help. But instead of just letting your friend
know that you are there to help, offer concrete assistance, such
as cooking meals for your friend’s family, picking up their
kids from school or taking them to practices, picking up prescriptions
or driving the loved one to doctor appointments.
• DO offer to spend time with the patient so your friend
can spend some time alone to take care of her/himself.
• DO plan a night of fun for your friend, maybe make dinner
plans with a close group of friends, or go to a funny movie or comedy
club.
• DO understand that strong feelings and thoughts are appropriate
for what your friend is going through. Show that you are willing
to listen without judging.
• DO offer to take a yoga class with your friend or offer
to go to a spa together and get a massage.
Things NOT to do:
• DO NOT always talk about medical related issues with your
friend. It can help your friend to hear about other things.
• DO NOT share your own personal stories of people you know
who have had cancer and what they did for their cancer, unless your
friend asks for that information.
• DO NOT hide or shy away from your friend. Even though it
is difficult to find the “right words to say”, just
letting your friend know that you are there to listen and that your
are thinking of them can be enough.
• DO NOT make light of your friend’s worries and concerns.
This is often done in a positive, loving attempt to reassure someone,
but it can be received as being insensitive.
• DO NOT offer conclusions about the “meaning”
of their experience. Although this is done with only good intentions,
this can sometimes lead to individuals being less open to communicating.
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