What Does A Cancer Patient And Family Need?
A friend’s spouse was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. I’d like to do something for the family, but I don’t really know what I can do or give. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Schedule some people to bring over breakfast and dinner a few nights a week. If they are involved in church it is really easy to get people to do it. Have them make enough food for leftovers. Put a cooler on the porch and when people drop food off just leave it in there. I have done it for several people and they loved the fact that someone brought over breakfast a few days a week and dinner a few days a week. It can just be simple stuff like muffins/breads/coffee cakes and pasta meals/chili/pizza. It makes things easier and if they have kids do a desert night too.
They are running back & forth to the doctor, treatment, etc. Fixing a meal is an excellent suggestion, offering to shop for groceries (they make the list), pick up things from local businesses, if there are kids-then taking the kids to school or activities, a session of light housekeeping:dusting, vacuum, etc.
It’s very kind of you to offer your assistance. This is a tough time & a lot to deal with for the family. If you are close friends you can offer to do more personal things. Medical care visits take a lot of time & are draining. Sometimes just having someone ride w/u, drive u there, sit w/u during the wait or during the procedure helps.
In addition to any & all things around the house…it helps for the patient to get out when they feel well. If you could sit for kids or pets for them to go out or offer to take them out to a movie or dinner, etc. There will be times when they feel too bad to do anything, but when u do feel good enough, u’d like to get out.
Nothing is too small to offer. They’ll appreciate anything!
That is so nice of you to be asking. Making them a home-cooked meal would be nice. If they have a pet seeing if they need help with it. I don’t know how close you are, just doing something to give them some time together is what is important.
Usually their day involves going to the hospital, waiting for chemotherapy, and then going home to fix dinner. That is how our chemotherapy day is. The chemotherapy that we use takes a long time about two to four hours depending on how busy everything is. So, going home to a nice cooked meal is great!
The earlier responses are good. Here is my list of what was most helpful for my family.
meals, meals, meals,
transportation of kids to school and events.
grocery store runs
talk kids out, to your home for entertainment
sitting with patient so caregiver can get out for errands.
sitting with patient when they are up to it. Listen, laugh
yard work