Thank you Pfizer for sponsoring this post. Join Pfizer’s This Is Living With Cancer™ initiative by sharing your story with #InspirationLives on Facebook and Instagram to support and inspire those who have been affected by cancer, and be sure to check out the LivingWith™ mobile app available via iTunes and Google Play.
Being a good caregiver is no easy task. Choosing to accept the responsibility of providing care for another person takes courage and dedication. Think about all the things you do for yourself: bathing, using the restroom, completing chores, running errands, preparing meals and managing finances. Now, imagine having to do all of those things for someone else. It’s a big job! Being a great caregiver can certainly be tough, but, with helpful resources, it can be done gracefully and efficiently.
One helpful resource may be the LivingWith™ app. Pfizer launched This Is Living With Cancer™, a national awareness program that includes this free mobile app for anyone living with cancer. It is designed to help manage some of the daily challenges faced by people living with cancer.
The LivingWith app can be an asset to anyone facing a cancer diagnosis, as well as a helpful tool for their caregivers.
During my mother’s battle with bile duct cancer, I was her primary caregiver. She was no longer able to walk with ease, bathe on her own, prepare food, complete household chores, pay bills or participate in recreational activities. I had to step in and complete most of these tasks for her.
Thankfully, my mother had many friends and supporters who wanted to help. I was working away from home and definitely needed all the help I could get. We were able to secure a rotation of church members, friends and family to cover shifts during the day. I used my phone calendar and a notepad to keep track of everything, which was a bit of a hassle. Keeping track of appointments, scheduling two sitters a day, relaying to them my mom’s medication and feeding schedule, keeping up with nurse and certified nursing assistant visits and keeping up with our inventory of medical equipment was really difficult.
Having a resource like LivingWith would have been helpful. The app allows patients and caregivers to identify needs and coordinate getting those needs met within their support systems. For instance, you can send a request to those in your inner circle for help with transportation, meals, household chores and other activities. People would always ask “What can I do to help?” The app makes answering that question easier. People can be directed to download this app and have access to the patient’s specific needs. The needs of people living with cancer are ever-changing, and it’s important to have an app that can keep up with it all.
As a caregiver, it is extremely important to make use of available resources. This can make the load a little lighter and can help to prevent a person from feeling burned-out. Family and friends, government and community programs, respite care services, home health care providers and technology like LivingWith are all resources that can help make the caregiver experience a more positive one.
For more information and to download the LivingWith mobile app, please visit www.ThisIsLivingWithCancer.com. Patients and their loved ones also can find the initiative on Facebook and Instagram.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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