Palliative Care: The Role of the CaregiverBarbara O’Connell knows how important ‘the little things’ are. Spending time with her husband, Tom, and theirdog, Yoda, is one of them. But moments like these are increasingly rare for Barbara. Tom is living with anaggressive form of Prostate Cancer. As his caregiver, Barbara has a lot to deal with.“Myself, as a caregiver, sitting out in the backyard, is huge for me, because that may be the only hour inthe day that I get, to just stop. Either I’m working full time, or I’m - caregiving full time.”Over the past year, many of Tom’s symptoms and side effects have gotten worse. He and Barbara realizedthey needed help beyond what his medical care team could provide. So, they started Palliative Care.“Take a deep breath.”Palliative Care is specialized medical treatment for people with serious illness. It is focused on providing relieffrom the pain, symptoms, and stress of a severe condition and its treatment and improving quality of life - forthe patient, and their family.“If somebody is dealing with illness, it affects them - but it also affects the people around them.Generally speaking, somebody is designated, as the primary caregiver to take on more responsibility interms of supporting the person who is ill, than others.”“I got it.”As Tom’s cancer has taken a greater toll on what he can and can’t do physically, Barbara has taken on moreand more responsibilities, like driving.“I decided, and he decided, he just couldn’t handle driving “She’s right” much anymore. Maybe to, youknow, a 5-minute ride to the store and back; but the symptoms are so bad, that you never know whenone of them is gonna hit.”Caregivers can have a number of duties, including managing family finances and handling household chores,like cooking and cleaning. In addition, they many need to: make and keep track of medical appointments fortheir loved one and accompany the person on those visits; pick up prescription medications and make surethey’re taken as directed; watch for any changes in the person’s condition and report them to health careproviders; ensure the house is safe for their loved one, by installing grab bars in the bathroom, for example;and in some cases, help with dressing and bathing.“The caregiver is a very valuable member of the Palliative Care Team. The caregiver goes across alldoctors and all specialists, and therefore has very, very valuable insight, into - what is the history, whatmakes the person tick, and what is the most important thing to the patient for whom they are caring.”Ideally, a caregiver is someone who lives nearby. But that’s not always the case. The person most able to helpmight live in a different city, state, or even country.“A long-distance caregiver can do it by daily phone calls, by being involved with the care/treatmentteam. They can have family meetings using technology; and they can call and check in; and go forperiodic visits.”This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG54652A EN PalliativeCareTheRoleOfTheCaregiver.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 2Palliative Care: The Role of the CaregiverWhether you’re far away or nearby, being a caregiver can be difficult. Palliative Care can help caregivers: learnhow to provide the specific care your loved one needs; manage the stress of caregiving; and access thesupport you need, like respite care, to give you a break as a caregiver.“It is very important to continue to take care of your own needs, and make sure that you don’t neglectyour health, your relationships, or your work life, because you’re taking care of someone who is ill.”“Come here boy.” Where’s your lease.”On their first day of Palliative Care, Barbara learned how dedicated the team is - not only to making thingseasier for Tom, but also to helping ease her burden.“I received a call from the social worker. She said, ‘I’m here for you, as well. You can call me at anytime with any problem, or issue, you might be having,’ Just the fact that I know someone’s there, when Iget to my breaking point, makes all the difference.”This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG54652A EN PalliativeCareTheRoleOfTheCaregiver.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
