Showing posts with label respite care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label respite care. Show all posts

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Caregiving, Cancer, Computers


My brother's very good friend, age 75, has cancer. A biopsy taken today may not be back for 3-5 days, but scans show 2 highly suspicious tumors. He's in the VA hospital.  Should he come to NYC where the experts are--to Sloan-Kettering? Can I recommend someone? While I do know someone who "lives" the medical field and does thorough research, added information before action is needed.

I'm also aware that the sister whom I've never met and I assume is in her 70's, is already caregiver for 2 sisters. One, 82, is confined to a wheel chair; the other has major health issues. The caregiver sister has been the sole caregiver for several years with a little help from her 75-year-old brother. Since all the siblings live together, it's probable that she will soon have additional caregiving responsibilities because of her brother. I offer to phone her.


The sister was appreciative, basically clueless about support. Visiting nurse services? She'd never heard of them. Social services? Her mobility-challenged sister was receiving physical therapy each week--had been for at least a year--but she didn't know who arranged it and knew nothing about social services. This caring, giving woman has been caregiving in a vacuum.