Senior Health: Cancer can be one of the most devastating things in life, ripping away our loved ones every day.
This is especially true with personal care at home when you develop a strong relationship with a senior who has been diagnosed. As a care professional, it is important to make sure that your senior is getting the treatment that they want, and that they are as happy and comfortable as possible. Read on to learn more about what cancer is like for senior health, and the actions you can do after your senior is diagnosed with cancer.
Cancer in Seniors
Cancer has become one of the most prevalent illnesses/causes of death in America, especially in the elderly. In short, cancer is when rouge cells begin to rapidly multiple on their own, forming tumors and possibly metastasizing to other parts of the body, causing future complications.
First of all, cancer is usually tougher to treat in seniors due to comorbidity. Comorbidity is when someone is suffering from multiple illnesses at once, which most seniors tend to be (with things like diabetes, dementia, etc.). This makes it hard to treat, as doctors don’t want to cause side effects or worsen other conditions.
In addition to this, most seniors’ immune systems are weaker, especially if they are already dealing with illnesses when they are diagnosed. This means that they have less of a chance of recovering from regular illnesses, or from treatments like chemotherapy or surgeries. In addition, a lot of seniors are working on a budget due to retirement payments, meaning that actually affording any treatment in the first place can be a big challenge.
Possible Treatment for a Senior With Cancer
To preface, any decisions made for your seniors should at least be consulted with them, if not fully made by them. This means that it is important to present them with their options in a clear concise manner, allowing them to make a sentient decision about their health and life.
To begin, there are a few main treatments that a senior can opt for if they wish to battle cancer. First of which is chemotherapy, with is the use of chemicals to stop fast-growing tissues, effectively targeting most cancer cells. This can however be challenging for seniors to recover from. Another possible treatment is surgery if the cancer is caught early. This means that surgeons will go to the location of the tumors and try to remove them (assuming that it is the only accumulation of cancer cells in the body).
Other than the medical options, there isn’t a lot that can be done at home for cancer other than basic personal care at home. To begin, it is important to keep your seniors happy and comfortable, so you may need to ask them if they want anything new after their diagnosis. Depending on the senior, they may also want some form of a therapist to talk to about their diagnosis. Lastly, some seniors may choose to not treat cancer at all, allowing it to become terminal. In this case, they may want to look into hospice, palliative care, or even death prep options like creating a last will and testament.
Senior Health: Conclusion:
In the end, cancer is devastating to all of us, even the loved ones of patients. Seniors can have an especially hard time with cancer due to the nature of treatments and their immune systems at the time. There are many options that your senior can choose, ranging from aggressive treatment to hospice/end-of-life care. In the end, the decision is fully up to your senior, and it is your job to support them and keep them as happy and comfortable as possible along the way!
Personal care at home can help your senior during this difficult time. Personal care at home caregivers can also help your senior with everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and transportation and to help your senior obtain good senior health. Call us today and see if personal care at home is right for you!
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Mountain View, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203
Sources:
- Benefits of Music for Seniors - May 9, 2024
- Managing the Emotions of Alzheimer’s Disease: How Can Alzheimer’s Care Help? - May 1, 2024
- 5 Things Seniors Need To Age In Place Comfortably - April 23, 2024
