{"id":12128,"date":"2025-02-22T17:37:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T17:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/?page_id=12128"},"modified":"2025-02-24T05:31:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T05:31:44","slug":"caring-for-someone-with-cancer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/the-cancer-experience\/caring-for-someone-with-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Caring for someone with cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"12128\" class=\"elementor elementor-12128\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7ebe964a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7ebe964a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-59f7bef3 sidebar elementor-hidden-phone\" data-id=\"59f7bef3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a506fb4 smenu elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-3151 elementor-widget-wp-widget-nav_menu\" data-id=\"1a506fb4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"wp-widget-nav_menu.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"menu-mainmenu-container\"><ul id=\"menu-mainmenu\" class=\"menu\"><li id=\"menu-item-11640\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-11640\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/the-cancer-experience\/\">The cancer experience<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu\">\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-12316\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12316\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/the-cancer-experience\/cancer-diagnosis\/\">Cancer diagnosis<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-12318\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12318\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/the-cancer-experience\/support-for-cancer\/\">Support for cancer<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-12344\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12344\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/the-cancer-experience\/health-and-finances\/\">Health and finances<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-12157\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12157\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/the-cancer-experience\/my-body-changes\/\">My body changes<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-12138\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12138\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/the-cancer-experience\/caring-for-someone-with-cancer\/\">Caring for someone with cancer<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-12351\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12351\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/the-cancer-experience\/resources\/\">Resources<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-11767\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11767\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/get-support\/\">Get support<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-11773\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-11773\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/get-involved\/\">Get involved<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu\">\n\t<li id=\"menu-item-12034\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12034\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/get-involved\/volunteer\/\">Volunteer<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-11779\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11779\"><a href=\"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/our-team\/\">Our team<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-744eff8e\" data-id=\"744eff8e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5871dcac elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5871dcac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Caring for someone with cancer<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e73c36e elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-3069 elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6e73c36e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11a54473 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11a54473\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4>Your role as carer<\/h4><p>A carer is a person who helps someone with a disability or through an illness such as cancer. In many ways, cancer is as challenging for carers as it is for the person with the disease. Once you know what the likely impact of cancer and your treatment will be, together you can plan ahead. Sometimes you are journeying in to the unknown together.<\/p><p>As a carer you may be a family member, relative, friend or neighbour. You may provide care for a few hours once a week or 24 hours a day. You may be assisting with daily chores, preparing meals and coordinating doctors\u2019 visits, or you could be providing emotional and spiritual support. Sometimes carers live interstate and help by coordinating care over the phone.<\/p><p>The practical skills and knowledge required to provide effective care or to support your family member or friend can be daunting, especially if your caring role is unexpected. Solaris Cancer Care Carer\u2019s Course has been running since 2006 and offers regular workshops and supportive care. To access dates go to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/solariscancercare.org.au\/upcoming-therapies-and-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carer\u2019s Course<\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carerswa.asn.au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carers WA<\/a>\u00a0website provides some helpful information about services and practical strategies to help you manage your day to day responsibilities.<\/p><p>The role of the carer usually falls to the spouse of the person diagnosed with cancer, or in children and single adults it is often their parents. Caring for a loved one with cancer can be emotionally, physically, practically and financially demanding. There are many extra duties which fall to the carer and combined with the worry and sense of loss, this can lead to chronic stress. In the long-term, carers can suffer from poor health and greater susceptibility to illness.<\/p><h4>The emotions of caring<\/h4><p>Caring affects people in many different ways. It can be confusing, scary, lonely and overwhelming. You may find that you have feelings that are hard to understand and sometimes hard to talk about. Remember, feelings are not \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018bad\u2019. They are simply feelings and are usually perfectly normal and shared by many others.<\/p><h4>Support for the carer<\/h4><p>Carers often don\u2019t reach out for support. They may have gone from a relationship where they shared their concerns and supported each other equally, to being the main source of comfort and support for the person with cancer. The carer needs to find external emotional support to help themselves so they can better help their loved one.<\/p><p>While difficulty often brings people together, the demands of cancer can place great strain on relationships. Resources and support can include counselling, attending support groups together or alone, and scheduling time outside the home\/hospital environment for activities such as massage, meditation, yoga or simply spending time enjoying life.<\/p><h4>Solaris Cancer Care Carer\u2019s Course<\/h4><p>Are you providing care for someone with cancer or a serious illness?<\/p><p>Join us for this free one day workshop aimed to help you in your caring role. The course focuses on the challenges and\u00a0demands of being a carer, and provides participants with a wide range of information and practical strategies to increase their coping skills, with self-care a constant theme throughout the course. The main goal is to improve the quality of life for both individuals in the caring relationship.<\/p><p>The course will cover:<\/p><ul><li>Effective Communication with family, friends and medical personnel<\/li><li>Managing Medication<\/li><li>Managing Pain<\/li><li>Managing Symptoms<\/li><li>Practical Aspects<\/li><li>Good Nutrition<\/li><li>Exercise<\/li><li>Self-Care<\/li><li>Complementary therapies: what are they and how can they help?<\/li><\/ul><p>All course materials, lunch and refreshments supplied.<\/p><p>Registration is essential as places are limited. Please complete\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/solariscancercare.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Carers-form-SJOG.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">REGISTRATION FORM<\/a>\u00a0and email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:patricia@solariscancercare.org.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">patricia@solariscancercare.org.au<\/a>\u00a0or return to your local centre.<\/p><p>To register for our one day Carer\u2019s Course, see\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/solariscancercare.org.au\/book-therapies-and-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">programs<\/a>. This educational seminar is delivered at metropolitan and regional centres numerous times each year, and is provided free of charge for carers.<\/p><p>Solaris Cancer Care welcomes carers and families to participate in all our groups, courses, activities and events.<\/p><h4>Ways to show support for your loved one<\/h4><p>Giving emotional support to a loved one with cancer is not easy. Of, course you want to be there for them, but at the same time, it hurts. Keep in mind that your strength will make them even stronger.<\/p><p><em>Don\u2019t show your denial<\/em><\/p><p>It\u2019s normal to be in shock; after all, misdiagnoses have been made. But be accepting. Support them in their choice to seek a second opinion, if the person you\u2019re caring for has just been diagnosed. But by showing denial you may be encouraging them to think their cancer diagnosis is wrong, which might lead to unnecessary delays or later disappointments.<\/p><p><em>Don\u2019t constantly say \u2018It\u2019s going to be all right\u2019<\/em><\/p><p>People with cancer hear that many times a day! When they hear phrases like that, one of the first things they ask themselves is, \u2018What if it\u2019s not okay,\u2019 or \u2018How do you know?\u2019 Instead of trying to reassure them that everything will be fine, reinforce that you are there to support them.<\/p><p><em>Normal is okay<\/em><\/p><p>Don\u2019t feel like you can\u2019t talk about what is going on in your life, good or bad, in front of your friend or loved one. You may feel like your life or problems are trivial compared to having cancer, but normalcy is refreshing and relaxing for someone with cancer. People often start treating them differently as soon as they find out about the cancer, and they can start to feel like invalids even when they are fully functional. Normalcy is a key to coping.<\/p><p><em>Look after yourself<\/em><\/p><p>The best way you can care for anyone else is by looking after yourself. When you attend to your own wellbeing, you boost your quality of life. In turn, your wellbeing ensures that you have the energy and capacity to face any challenges coming your way. This means you can provide more effective support to the people around you. Don\u2019t feel guilty about taking some time out. \u00a0You may also find that some of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/solariscancercare.org.au\/book-therapies-and-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wellness Programs<\/a>\u00a0and therapies offered at Solaris Cancer Care\u00a0are beneficial for you.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-941b3e3 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"941b3e3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e2faa73\" data-id=\"e2faa73\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8f786ff elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"8f786ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"3072\" class=\"elementor elementor-3072\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3a631aac elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3a631aac\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-cb73b26\" data-id=\"cb73b26\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4be1aba0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4be1aba0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Find a Support Centre near you<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b0e65c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"7b0e65c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/solariscancercare.org.au\/about-us\/support-centres\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Support Centres<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your role as carer A carer is a person who helps someone with a disability or through an illness such as cancer. In many ways, cancer is as challenging for carers as it is for the person with the disease. Once you know what the likely impact of cancer and your treatment will be, together [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12143,"parent":11623,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12128","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12128"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12172,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12128\/revisions\/12172"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/solaris.nicoleking.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}