By Dr. Sneha Kommineni, Consultant – Medical Oncology, Aster RV Hospital
The act of caring for cancer patients represents love according to common beliefs. The practice of caring for cancer patients requires multiple emotional and physical demands which people tend to overlook. Most people who become caregivers start their work without any professional training because they serve as daughters or sons or spouses or parents or friends to their loved ones who need assistance. The process of cancer treatment extends beyond a single emergency because it requires many months of treatment which includes hospital visits and medicine and uncertainty and constant monitoring. Caregivers who provide support to others begin to experience hidden physical and mental and emotional exhaustion which they fail to recognize.
Caregivers who experience this type of exhaustion have developed a natural response to continuous stress because they deeply care about others. The most challenging aspect of caregiving work involves handling emotional responsibilities rather than performing physical duties. The patient will experience fear and anger and sadness and withdrawal behaviors as a result of their current situation, which affects their entire being.
Caregivers use emotional suppression to maintain their strength while they carry hidden stress and silent worry and decision fatigue. They face multiple uncertainty situations which require them to make treatment decisions and financial choices and dietary selections and daily activity decisions, which results in them feeling guilty about their performance despite their efforts to do their best.
Financial difficulties function as an additional hidden pressure. The expenses of essential care include transportation fees and work-related income that was not obtained plus dietary requirements and medical assistance in the home environment. Family members who provide care for their loved ones must balance their professional duties with household obligations while they protect their family member and maintain their home.
Caregivers experience a gradual decline of their social connections as their support network decreases which results in their feeling of being unseen and isolated from others. People tend to avoid requesting assistance because they believe that all tasks must be performed by themselves. They experience a quieter form of grief which consists of observing life transitions and their fear of future losses and their longing for past experiences. The dynamics between people change because of shifting relationships which result in complicated emotional experiences. People usually experience simultaneous feelings of frustration and guilt.
The feelings which people experience in these situations do not determine their capacity to provide caregiving; these feelings show their basic human nature. The reason for this understanding exists because people need to realize that caregiving requires teamwork between multiple people instead of one individual completing all tasks. The system of care operates as a single interconnected unit which brings together patients and caregivers along with family members and medical staff and community members to demonstrate this year’s Cancer Day theme of “United by Uniques.” The individuals involved in this process contribute their unique abilities and viewpoints to create a system which provides assistance to them throughout their journey.
The process of recognising human limitations holds equal value to all other tasks. Caregivers only need to show up because they do not require absolute perfection. People who request assistance demonstrate their courage and self-awareness instead of showing their weakness. Caregivers and patients require breaks and boundary establishment and emotional or professional support together with sleep and nutrition and mental health requirements because these needs serve as essential needs. Our first priority should be to recognize each individual as an entire person instead of identifying them as patients. Cancer represents a life chapter that affects people yet it does not determine their identity.
Caregivers exist as more than their professional roles because they have personal aspirations and essential requirements and emotional experiences that require understanding and kindness. A cancer diagnosis affects more than one individual. The entire family experiences its effects. The entire family unit experiences changes to their connections and their daily activities and their actual existence. Shared obstacles can create shared benefits that include strength and love and resilience and connection. We need to acknowledge its secret difficulties because doing so we honour both caregivers and the patients who depend on their assistance.
Dr. Sneha Kommineni, Consultant – Medical Oncology, Aster RV Hospital
The act of caring for cancer patients represents love according to common beliefs. The practice of caring for cancer patients requires multiple emotional and physical demands which people tend to overlook. Most people who become caregivers start their work without any professional training because they serve as daughters or sons or spouses or parents or friends to their loved ones who need assistance. The process of cancer treatment extends beyond a single emergency because it requires many months of treatment which includes hospital visits and medicine and uncertainty and constant monitoring. Caregivers who provide support to others begin to experience hidden physical and mental and emotional exhaustion which they fail to recognize.
Caregivers who experience this type of exhaustion have developed a natural response to continuous stress because they deeply care about others. The most challenging aspect of caregiving work involves handling emotional responsibilities rather than performing physical duties. The patient will experience fear and anger and sadness and withdrawal behaviors as a result of their current situation, which affects their entire being.
Caregivers use emotional suppression to maintain their strength while they carry hidden stress and silent worry and decision fatigue. They face multiple uncertainty situations which require them to make treatment decisions and financial choices and dietary selections and daily activity decisions, which results in them feeling guilty about their performance despite their efforts to do their best.
Financial difficulties function as an additional hidden pressure. The expenses of essential care include transportation fees and work-related income that was not obtained plus dietary requirements and medical assistance in the home environment. Family members who provide care for their loved ones must balance their professional duties with household obligations while they protect their family member and maintain their home.
Caregivers experience a gradual decline of their social connections as their support network decreases which results in their feeling of being unseen and isolated from others. People tend to avoid requesting assistance because they believe that all tasks must be performed by themselves. They experience a quieter form of grief which consists of observing life transitions and their fear of future losses and their longing for past experiences. The dynamics between people change because of shifting relationships which result in complicated emotional experiences. People usually experience simultaneous feelings of frustration and guilt.
The feelings which people experience in these situations do not determine their capacity to provide caregiving; these feelings show their basic human nature. The reason for this understanding exists because people need to realize that caregiving requires teamwork between multiple people instead of one individual completing all tasks. The system of care operates as a single interconnected unit which brings together patients and caregivers along with family members and medical staff and community members to demonstrate this year’s Cancer Day theme of “United by Uniques.” The individuals involved in this process contribute their unique abilities and viewpoints to create a system which provides assistance to them throughout their journey.
The process of recognising human limitations holds equal value to all other tasks. Caregivers only need to show up because they do not require absolute perfection. People who request assistance demonstrate their courage and self-awareness instead of showing their weakness. Caregivers and patients require breaks and boundary establishment and emotional or professional support together with sleep and nutrition and mental health requirements because these needs serve as essential needs. Our first priority should be to recognize each individual as an entire person instead of identifying them as patients. Cancer represents a life chapter that affects people yet it does not determine their identity.
Caregivers exist as more than their professional roles because they have personal aspirations and essential requirements and emotional experiences that require understanding and kindness. A cancer diagnosis affects more than one individual. The entire family experiences its effects. The entire family unit experiences changes to their connections and their daily activities and their actual existence. Shared obstacles can create shared benefits that include strength and love and resilience and connection. We need to acknowledge its secret difficulties because doing so we honour both caregivers and the patients who depend on their assistance.
