Support Persons
Being a support person for someone with cancer can be rewarding, tiring, challenging and impact your life in many ways.
You might like to create a cancer mind care plan for yourself.
Common carer responsibilities
Caring for someone you love with cancer can be create greater intimacy and closeness. However, it can also be challenging. Taking on a caring role can change your relationship and affects the established roles you have with the person with cancer. Many support people take on additional responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities can be medical, practical, emotional and social.
Medical
| Practical
| Emotional
| Social
|
Common carer relationships
Jill's story
This video produced by Rural Cancer Stories shows Jill talking about being a support person and advocate for her partner.
Aidan's story
You can also view a video produced by Moments that Matter, featuring Aidan sharing his experience of caring for his wife.
Changes in sexuality and intimacy
You might feel your relationship with the person you are supporting has changed. If the person is your partner, cancer may have affected your sexual relationship and you might miss physical intimacy. Here is information from the Cancer Council on how to manage changes in sexuality and intimacy.
Further reading
If any of these feelings resonate for you as a support person, you can read more and ways to manage from Cancer Council Victoria.
The responsibility of looking after someone with cancer may mean that you ignore your own needs. It is so important to take care of yourself. Here are some tips for coping from the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre.
Here you will find some self-care strategies from the Cancer Council.
Pyschological first aid
Helpful tips and guides
- Caring for Someone with Cancer - Cancer Council
This guide from the Cancer Council offers practical tips, as well as balancing the demands of caring, supporting, family, work and your own needs.
- Caring for a cancer survivor: tips for coping - The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre
The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre also shares tips for coping.
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Content is sourced from published research literature, grey literature sources (e.g. clinical guidelines) and opinions of clinical experts. It is not intended to reflect all of the available evidence and is not intended to be exhaustive.
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Acknowledgments
Screening tool references
Kessler-10
Kessler, R.C., Barker, P.R., Colpe, L.J., Epstein, J.F., Gfroerer, J.C., Hiripi, E., Howes, M.J, Normand, S-L.T., Manderscheid, R.W., Walters, E.E., Zaslavsky, A.M. (2003). Screening for serious mental illness in the general population Archives of General Psychiatry. 60(2), 184-189.
Distress thermometer
Adapted from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer. Available from: https://www.nccn.org/docs/default-source/patient-resources/nccn_distress_thermometer.pdf?sfvrsn=ef1df1a2_4
Contact
For questions or comments related to this website, please email CancerMindCare@petermac.org. To contact the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Psychology Department please call 03 8559 5220.