Six Ways To Help A Parent With Cancer

It can be incredibly hard to cope when you find out that someone you love has cancer. The whirlwind of emotions and fear that you will feel can be overwhelming, especially if the person dealing with the cancer diagnosis is a source of strength for you. It’s natural to feel confused and helpless at this time, but if you are supporting a parent with cancer, you need to know how to do that without burning yourself out.

They will be handling a huge emotional burden as much as they will be handling a physical burden. Going through proton cancer treatment can be life changing, and it can take over their usual day to day life, too. With this in mind, we’ve put together six ways you can help a parent with cancer.

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• Listen. Sometimes, all you need to do is listen without giving advice or trying to help more than necessary. It can be difficult to listen without giving advice, but this is what you need to do. Your person needs to feel heard, and listening to them without trying to help, without doing more than giving them a space to vent? It can make a difference to the way that they feel on the inside. Don’t try to push treatment options or the stories that say your friend’s sister’s grandma survived the same cancers. This isn’t your battle. Listen and support.
• Organize Yourself. You have a parent fighting cancer, so what can you do to take the burden off them? You cannot treat the cancer and you cannot take it away, but you can stock the freezer and do the grocery shopping. You can talk for them to their utility companies to lessen the burden. You can drive them to appointments and be there and you can gather the rest of the family and friends to divide the costs of the house to help.
• Be A Companion. You can be a friend and a comfort just by being beside them in times of worry and in need of support. Older people often have limited resources so being their companion can make a huge difference to their mental health in times of crisis.
• R.A.K. A random act of kindness can make a big difference to someone going through cancer treatment. If you have a cleaner, bring them to your parents house to clean the house for them. 
• Outsource Paperwork. Medical bills can be hard to handle so if you get someone in to handle the paperwork, they won’t have to worry about any of it. Insurance paperwork, financial documentation and contracts are hard to manage when going through difficult treatment. Instead, outsource and manage it with the help of someone who knows how.
• Look After Yourself. Cancer is a bear of an illness that affects the caregivers, too. Prioritize some care for yourself, and make sure that you look after your own fatigue and worry, too. Take time to look after yourself, and be as careful with yourself as you can.