How to Care for Someone with Lung Cancer

By Himanshu Sharma , Onlymyhealth editorial team

Mar 31, 2012

In order to care for someone with lung cancer, one needs to know few basics and guidelines of dealing with the condition. Knowing that someone around you has been diagnosed with lung cancer could move your heart. You can only contribute to the cause by learning know-how of coping with a lung cancer patient. By doing so, one can help patient recover from physical and mental trauma.

Instructions to Care for Lung Cancer Patient

Note all your doubts and share the same with expert supervising patient’s condition. Don’t hesitate to ask questions with any sort of fear. Your questions could be trivial in nature like ‘how to entertain lung cancer patient’, or could be regarding food options.
Learn as much as possible to help lung cancer patient fight his illness. This will help the one with a special need of supportive care during recovery phase.
Get acquainted with the medication schedule of patient. Adhering to medication schedule will ensure patient’s speedy recovery and keeps him/her away from pain. Non-compliance with the medication schedule is identified as the commonest cause of recurring cancer pain.
Offer a helping hand. Help patient and affected family members do their tasks. This ensures that he does not get distracted, fatigued or just overwhelmed.
Besides entertaining lung cancer patient, make an attempt to make him talk or express. This initiate of yours will make the malady less stressful, frightening and depressing for patient.
Involve patients’ friends to visit him or keep in touch with him/her over the internet. Communicating with near ones and dear ones is certain to bring smile on patient’s face.
If you take care of patient’s everyday tasks, allot responsibility to a reliable person when you are away. Detail him/her about patient’s medication in specific.
Be ready to perform several roles even when you are not familiar with these. You could be a comforter, or personal assistant, or counsellor or financial advisor.