Talking to Your Parent About Their Cancer Screening

Being proactive about your parent’s health is one of the most important things that you can do as a family caregiver to help ensure that your senior maintains the health, well-being, and quality of life that they desire and deserve throughout their later years. One of the ways that you can help the to be proactive is to encourage them to understand the risks that they are facing and to get tested or screened for potential health issues when their doctor deems it appropriate.

September 8 is Stand Up to Cancer Day. This is the ideal time to talk to your aging parent about cancer screenings and meet with their doctor to discuss if there are screenings that they would recommend your aging parent undergo. Talking to your senior about these screenings is an important step in helping them to feel more confident and comfortable with the process.

Use these tips to help you talk to your parent about their cancer screening:

• Make sure they understand their risk. Your parent might not fully understand why they need to undergo these screenings. Talk to them about their risk and why the doctor thinks it is important that they get screened. This can help your parent feel more informed and more in control.

• Ensure they want to do it. Getting screened for cancer might seem like a non-decision to you. It is just something that you do to take care of your health. For your aging parent, however, it might not be that straightforward. Talk to them about whether it is important to them personally to get screened. Discuss what they would do if they found out that they did have cancer and determine together if it is worth it.

• Go over what to expect. Undergoing a medical procedure of any kind can be intimidating. Help your parent feel more confident by going over with them what they can expect with the procedure, including how long it will take, what the doctor will do, and how long it will take to get their results.

If you have been consider ways that you can enhance your aging parent’s life and help them to live a lifestyle that is more fulfilling, engaged, and independent throughout their later years, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting elder care for them. An elderly home care services provider can be with your aging parent on a schedule that is right not just for their needs, but also for the care that you are able to give them. This means that they can stay as healthy, safe, comfortable, and happy as possible as they age in place, and you can feel confident that they are getting everything that they need both when you are able to be with them and when you are not.

Homepage

https://www.ons.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdfs/Evidence%20Based%20Practice_Older_Adult_CHAPTER_1.pdf
https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/cancer-facts-figures-2017.html

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Elizabeth, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Care Street Home Care of New Brunswick today. Call (732) 607-8870.