Taking care of someone else is never an easy task, especially if you are taking care of a lung cancer child. Child cancer patients need much more care than your average patient. It can also be more of a challenge when you, the caregiver, are also young. That’s why as a young adult caregiver, you will need to pay more attention to your patient as well as take care of yourself. Here are some things you should know before caring for a lung cancer child.
There are many meanings of being a caregiver
When you are a young adult, you may not be the only one caring for the child. This does not mean your role is not important. Your support and care are still valuable to the lung cancer child. Your role can be making phone calls, going to the doctor’s appointment with them, or cook a meal will help them open up to you tremendously.
You will need a lot of communication
Despite popular belief, silence isn’t golden. No matter what age you are, it’s important to communicate with each other and you should encourage lung cancer child to do the same. By talking to them, you can understand how they are coping with their lung cancer. At first, you might not have much success but eventually, your openness and sincerity will win them over.
You should let your professors or employer know about being a caregiver
Being a caregiver means sometimes you need to be late to work or skip class when your patient needs you. You should tell your professor or employer about being a caregiver so they can support you with a more flexible schedule.
You should discuss with your child how you can help with communicating with the medical team
You will have a chance to talk to your child’s medical team while you are taking care of your child. However, having lung cancer can make it difficult for your child to talk to the team themselves and express what they want. You can offer help by discussing the side effects the treatment has on your child or listen and write down information during an appointment.
You should take care of your health as well
Your health is also important. You should ask for help when you don’t know what to do or if you need some time for yourself. You should learn to relax and take times to yourself so you don’t over-worked or stress. Maintaining your own responsibilities, commitments, and lifestyle are all important in ensuring that your needs are met as you care for a child with lung cancer.
There is no right or wrong way to be a caregiver. You need to find which approach works for you best and try your best. This is likely very new for you, so give yourself permission to make changes as you go.
