Home Care Services for the Lung Cancer Patient near Monroe, NJ?

“One Family’s Frustration with their Dad near Monroe, NJ”

Carl had been a smoker since he was a teenager. Even though he knew all of the warnings that it could cause lung cancer and other physical ailments, he never let that stop him. A two pack a day smoker, even his children while they were growing up would ask him to quit, but he didn’t really want to.

At 68 years old of age, Carl was diagnosed with lung cancer. As his health deteriorated, it became clear that he was going to require some type of home care services. He became weak, fatigued far too easily, and had a number of other health ailments that made it difficult for him to get up and down stairs, maintain his balance for long periods of time, and essentially take care of himself properly.

When the in-home care provider began showing up to work with him on a regular basis, his family pulled this caregiver aside to talk to him about their father. They told the caregiver that even though Carl was fighting this cancer with radiation and chemotherapy, he had not given up smoking, despite the fact that he told his doctor he had. They encourage the caregiver to make sure that he quit.

The in-home care provider, having had a lot of experience working with cancer patients as well as elderly individuals who continued to smoke, simply told them that it wasn’t his place to force Carl to quit smoking if he didn’t want to.

While we as family members may want what is best for our loved ones, that doesn’t mean we get to force them to do certain things. Even though lung cancer can be devastating and the survival rate of this cancer diminishes with age, a person who is intent on continuing to smoke is not going to change his or her mind based on what an in-home care provider tells them.

The caregiver will not have any legal right to destroy cigarettes, keep them from the patient, or even force the patient to smoke outside of his or her home. The in-home care provider does not have to work with the patient who smokes in the house if they don’t want to. It is important to understand where to draw the line with regard to cancer, smoking, and encouraging a loved one to give up this habit.

November is Long Cancer Awareness Month, so it is a good opportunity to think about how home care services can make a difference and where you need to draw the line in your desire to help the elderly patient do what you believe is best for him or her.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring home care services near Monroe NJ, or the surrounding areas. Please call Independence Home Care today at (609) 642-4085 for more information .