Cancer Truth Note: #284
Assisted living, long term care, and hospice facilities can be a blessing, improving the lives and well being of the patient and the family members who love them.
This is a big one. Taking care of a loved one is hard. When I had surgery this past spring and I was restricted my husband had a tremendous amount of tasks on his plate. That was with me largely taking care of myself.
Now imagine a situation where full time care is necessary. You need help.
Splitting up the care among family members, provided you have the people to do that, is a short term fix. In the long term it takes a toll on everyone’s well being. If you don’t have that option the toll on the caregiver is worse.
You need help.
When the situation becomes long term, let’s call that more than 12 weeks, you need to consider the options.
While cost is definitely a consideration, there are many great facilities with wonderful caregivers and aids. There are meals, activities, opportunities for social interaction, and a safety net of medical services to keep the resident safe. That all happens while family members who have been providing care can also get their well being needs met. That can improve the life of everyone involved.
It may be a change for sure. It can be a positive one.
Does the idea of these types of living arrangements freak you out or sound like a valid option?
Continue the conversation in the facebook group Surviving is JUST the Beginning or follow me on Instagram.
Additional Truths
Cancer Truth Notes: #365
Cancer Truth Note: #365 Seven years ago today I finished chemo. Then I learned that treatment is not the end of the journey. Surviving is JUST the beginning. I really thought, “GREAT. I am done with this part. I should be back to full strength in 3 weeks and be fine...
Cancer Truth Notes: #364
Cancer Truth Note: #364 Remember depression, anxiety, fear of recurrence, and other mental health challenges are common side effects for cancer survivors. These may show up more strongly as the days get shorter and colder here in the northern hemisphere. If you are...
Cancer Truth Notes: #363
Cancer Truth Note: #363 We don’t always see the impacts cancer treatments are having on us clearly, but most of the time if something is off you know it. Maybe tasks that were easy are now harder to process. Maybe your memory is not working like it used to. Maybe you...