For U.S. Residents Only

Home Care

Home care consists of a wide range of services that are performed by healthcare professionals in your home. Home care can help a person with lung cancer retain independence in the comfort of familiar surroundings. As with all issues, be sure to include the person with lung cancer in decision making about home care whenever possible.

You may feel you need help only with tasks such as laundry, shopping, or cooking. If so, you might ask family members or friends if they would be willing to help out. You may, on the other hand, need someone to provide nursing care for your loved one. Whatever choice you make for home care, you may need to adjust to the idea of having someone else taking over the care you've been responsible for. Be specific about which tasks you can handle alone and which tasks you need help with.

Home care is provided through for-profit and nonprofit agencies, public and private hospitals, and public health departments. Services can include cancer treatment, dispensing of pain medications, nutritional guidance, physical therapy, or help with activities of daily living (ADLs).

The home care team may include a nurse, nurse practitioner, social worker, dietician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, pharmacist, oncologist, and/or psychiatrist or psychologist.

Remember, you are an important part of your loved one's healthcare team. Home care not only lets your loved one remain at home in familiar surroundings but also allows you to continue to provide the care you can handle.

For information on other caregiving options, click the links below.

Respite Care
Nursing Home
Hospice

Sources of Information

There are many organizations that provide information and support for caregivers and families of people with cancer. You may contact them by phone, mail, or on the Internet.
  • National Association for Home Care
    228 Seventh Street, SE
    Washington, DC 20003
    1-202-547-7424
    http://nahc.org/consumer/coninfo.html
    Provides general information about home care and hospice and offers free download of the brochure "How to Choose a Home Care Provider."

  • Visiting Nurses Association of America
    11 Beacon Street, Suite 910
    Boston, MA 02108
    1-617-523-4042
    http://www.vnaa.org
    Provides information about community-based home healthcare.

  • National Home Oxygen Patient's Association (NHOPA)
    5454 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1270
    Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6920
    http://www.homeoxygen.org
    Nonprofit association that focuses on improving the lives of people who regularly require supplemental oxygen and provides patient education and advocacy services.

Additional Resources

Knowing where to find credible and accurate information about caregiving is an important step toward making life better for yourself and your loved one. The following resources may help:

The Comfort of Home: An Illustrated Step-By-Step Guide for Caregivers
Maria M. Meyer, Paula Derr, and Mark O. Hatfield
CareTrust Publications LLC
ISBN: 0966476700, 364 pages
1998

The Complete Bedside Companion: A No-Nonsense Guide to Caring for the Seriously Ill
Rodger McFarlane and Philip Bashe
Fireside
ISBN: 0684843196, 544 pages
1999

Share the Care: How to Organize a Group to Care for Someone Who Is Seriously Ill
Cappy Capossela, Sheila Warnock, and Sukie Miller
Fireside
ISBN: 0684811367, 287 pages
1995