How Do My Nursing Home Lessons Apply to Those Walking the Cancer Path

Caring for a family member who has cancer has it’s own unique challenges. Challenges not found in other long term care situations. These include, but are certainly not limited to chemotherapy and radiation and the side effects that go with them.

However, there are challenges I faced with Mom’s care that are applicable to any situation that involves working with health care professionals, from hospital staff to hospice staff.
Building positive relationships with everyone who cares for your loved one is an absolutely necessary building block. It will help ensure that your ill family member will receive good care, especially when you are not present.

Nursing Homes: How to “Make the Best of It”

My grandmother’s stay in the nursing home was about 11 months. I learned many things about relating to all staff involved in her care from administration to CNAs. I made many friends there and o this day I cherish the time we spent together.

Over the next several posts I want to share with you some of the experiences Mom and I had in this nursing home. I want to share how I handled various situations that arose during the months of her residence there.

First of all, this nursing home is basically a good facility. It has an open, bright atmosphere when you first step through the door. It is beautifully decorated, and everything feels and smells fresh and clean. It is locally owned and well run.

Not all our experiences there were good. There were some very difficult moments, but I believe that the way I handled the bad experiences enabled my grandmother to have many more good experiences. Overall she was cared for very well.