When you get home from the hospital, you may be a little frightened. But you'll probably be eager to get back to sleeping in your own bed and returning to your normal routines. Your family will be happy you're coming home, but they'll be worried too. They will wonder about providing you with proper care. They will have to deal with new routines, changing roles, new expectations. Not least, they will have to deal with the many changes of mood and behavior you'll go through as you cope with your illness.
Home care is a major undertaking for family members. They give not only their physical services but also their empathy and compassion. Many people with cancer, because of the intensity of their illness, are often able to give little emotional support in return.
So family members may need special emotional support. They may feel left out of critical decisions, burdened with responsibilities, afraid of what the future will bring. They may feel angry about the disruption of their own lives and guilty for any number of reasons. Family members must be especially helped to not feel guilty for considering their own needs as well as yours and for taking time for their own social and recreational activities. It is also important to include children in discussions appropriate to their age and level of understanding.
The Importance of Communication The emotional needs of everyone can best be met by planning and open communication. If more than one family member is involved in care, a schedule to rotate responsibilities should be arranged. If one person is the main caregiver, he or she has to be allotted some free time for mental and physical well-being. Resentments and fears should be discussed as freely as possible so that frustrations don't simmer and rise to the boiling point. Shared feelings are always easier to handle.
