1. Health
2. Cancer

Cancer

• Article - Getting a Second Opinion When Your Parent Is Diagnosed With Cancer

  Guidance from Caring.com on when, why, and how to get a second opinion on your parent's cancer diagnosis.

• Article - How to Make Sure You Understand Your Parent's Cancer Prognosis

  This article helps you understand the implications of your parent's cancer prognosis.

• Article - Cancer and Mouth Sores

  Mouth sores are one of the most common side effects of cancer and chemotherapy. Learn how to prevent, treat and reduce the pain of chemo mouth sores.

• Article - Defining Your Role as a Cancer Caregiver

  Before you take on the role of caring for a parent with cancer, read this comprehensive look at what the job entails -- how to best care for your parent and how you can avoid burnout.

• Checklist - 10 Things You Need to Know When Your Parent Is Diagnosed With Cancer

• Article - How to Find Out Exactly What Kind of Cancer Your Parent Has

  Learn which questions to ask to understand your parent's cancer diagnosis, so you can help her make the best treatment decisions and get the care she needs.

• Article - Documents to Bring to the Oncologist's Office

  Be prepared: The ten crucial pieces of Information you need to have when you visit your parent's cancer doctor.

• Article - Questions to Ask Your Parent's Oncologist About the Diagnosis

  The 20 essential questions to ask the oncologist when your parent is diagnosed with cancer.

• Article - Neuropathy and Chemotherapy: What You Can Do

  Chemotherapy can cause neuropathy, the medical term for nerve damage. Here's what you can do to prevent and minimize neuropathy and nerve damage.

• Article - Nausea: Helping Your Parent Keep Up His Appetite

  An action plan for helping your parent with cancer boost his appetite so he can get the nutrition he needs.

• Article - How to Ask for Help With Cancer Care Giving

  Get support you can use in caring for a parent with cancer with this guide to how to ask for assistance and ways to help you may not have thought of.

• Article - Understanding Low Red Blood Counts

  Chemotherapy can cause low red blood cell (RBC) counts. Understand the RBC tests, low red blood count symptoms and what to do about them.

• Article - How Blood Test Results Can Affect a Chemotherapy Session

  Blood Test Results and Chemotherapy. When undergoing chemotherapy, a lot hinges on the blood test results that precede each chemotherapy session.

• Article - Coping With the Psychological Issues of Hair Loss

  Hair loss from cancer treatment is a difficult issue for aging parents. This article offers guidance to help them cope.

• Article - Understanding Low White Blood Cell Counts

  Understanding a Low White Blood Cell Count: What a low white blood cell count means for your parent’s health and how their doctor might treat it.

• Checklist - 15 Questions to Ask About Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer

  These fifteen questions about radiation therapy for breast cancer will help you make good decisions about your parent's treatment.

• Checklist - Preparing for Hair Loss: A To-Do List

  A list of 18 items that will come in handy when you expect your parent's cancer treatment to result in hair loss.

• Interview - Talking With Kelly Corrigan

  The author of The Middle Place reflects on how family dynamics, faith, and lacrosse figured into her father’s treatment for bladder cancer.

• Interview - Talking with David Rieff

  The author of Swimming in a Sea of Death reflects on his inner struggle over how to help his mother, Susan Sontag, face death.

• Interview - Talking With Hope Rugo

  An oncologist who was also a caregiver to her mother before she died of breast cancer offers advice to other caregivers.

• Interview - Talking With Jamieson Haverkampf

  Mom Minus Dad author Jamieson Haverkampf offers advice -- and more than 500 resources -- for family caregivers to newly widowed parents.

• Article - Clinical Trials: How to Get Your Parent Accepted and Enrolled

  How to get a parent with cancer accepted and enrolled in the best clinical trial available.

• Interview - Talking With David Kuhl

  David Kuhl, author of What Dying People Want, offers advice on how to have meaningful discussions with parents before they die.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Should Cancer Patients Take a Chemo Vacation?

  Most news headlines about cancer treatment trumpet...

• Blog Post - Media Focus on Patrick Swayze's Cancer Begs the Real Questions

  The sudden media attention on Patrick Swayze's diagnosis...

• Blog Post - What Alzheimer's Caregivers Need Even More Than a Cure

  Alzheimer's caregivers need care resources as urgently as a cure

• Blog Post - New Research May Predict Risk of Cancer Recurrence

  Cancer researchers have discovered clues to identify which lung and breast cancers will spread, suggesting possible tests and cancer treatments.

• Blog Post - Overweight Women at Greater Risk for Cancer But Receive Fewer Screenings

  Being overweight is a risk factor for many types of cancer, but new research shows that overweight women are less likely, rather than more likely, to receive recommended screenings.

• Blog Post - Caregiving: Does it Have to Be This Hard?

  A summary of caregiving in the U.S. in 2008: some statistics and how it got this way

• Blog Post - Aging Smokers: Who's Going to Get Lung Cancer?

  It's a medical fact that smokers are at much greater risk for lung cancer than nonsmokers, but it's long been a mystery why some smokers remain cancer free. New research breakthroughs provide answers about lung cancer risk and diagnosis.

• Blog Post - It Takes a Neighborhood (Pt. 1)

  Neighbors pitch in to help an isolated elderly neighbor so he can stay in his own home.

• Blog Post - Telling Our Stories: The Importance of Personal Cancer Blogs

  These great cancer blogs help those fighting cancer learn from others' stories.

• Blog Post - After a Stroke: When Words Fail Us

  Creative ways to communicate with someone who has trouble speaking or understanding language.

• Blog Post - Memory Trouble? Don't Assume It's Alzheimer's

  Memory loss isn't always Alzheimer's: a review of types of memory loss

• Blog Post - A Powerful New Weapon in the Fight Against Cancer

  Can something this simple really be this powerful...

• Blog Post - My mother's growing needs are putting a strain on my marriage, and I find myself wondering which will fall apart first -- her, my marriage, or me. What can I do?

  Since my dad died five years ago, my mother has had...

• Blog Post - A Promising New Lung Cancer Vaccine

  This week brought welcome news for people with non-small cell lung cancer: Long-term results from a clinical trial showed that a new immune-boosting treatment worked as well or better than chemotherapy at reducing relapse.

• Blog Post - Questions I Wish I'd Asked Mom

  Reflections on a first motherless Mother's Day.

• Blog Post - New Test Can Spare Breast Cancer Patients from Chemo

  The new test Oncotype DX spares many women with early stage breast cancer from chemo by revealing which cancers are low risk.

• Blog Post - Brain-Training 101: Does It Really Help Those With Dementia?

  Brain-fitness games are a huge growth industry, but can they help prevent or reverse dementia?

• Blog Post - Call Us Cancer "Carepartners"

  When you're helping someone you love battle cancer, you're right there on the front lines with them.

• Blog Post - Real Men Can Have Brittle Bones

  Because osteoporosis is underdiagnosed in men, the American College of Physicians issued new guidelines urging doctors to screen men for osteoporosis.

• Blog Post - Would You Rather Your Parent Had Dementia or Alzheimer's or Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration?

  Is "dementia" an outdated word, like "mongoloid" or "cripple"?

• Blog Post - Kennedy's Cancer Has Everyone Talking About Brain Tumors

  The announcement about Senator Edward Kennedy's brain tumor has the world talking about gliomas.

• Blog Post - Aging Artfully, Part 1

  How you can age artfully by pursuing your passions

• Blog Post - Cancer News We Can Use

  New research presented at ASCO offers news for those with breast, colorectal, and lung cancer.

• Blog Post - Cancer Research Breakthroughs Offer New Cancer Drug Options

  New cancer drugs offer hope for those with breast cancer, lung cancer, brain tumors, and pancreatic cancer.

• Blog Post - What Do You Give an Old Dad for Father's Day?

  What aging dads really need for Father's Day can't be wrapped.

• Blog Post - Cancer Patients Fight for Access to New Drugs

  Access to experimental cancer drugs and treatments can save the lives of cancer patients, and the issue has become a heated one.

• Blog Post - You're Not Imagining It: More People Have Alzheimer's

  Alzheimer's disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in the US.

• Blog Post - Heartburn or Heart Attack? Women May Miss the Signs

  Women often attribute heart attack symptoms to indigestion, stress, and fatigue. Here's a list of the less typical signs of heart attack.

• Blog Post - Tired No More: New Drug Can Treat Cancer Fatigue

  New research shows that the narcolepsy drug Provigil can treat cancer fatigue.

• Blog Post - Catch Ovarian Cancer Early With a Simple Symptom Screening Test

  Catching ovarian cancer early: A new screening tool for three key symptoms can help identify 80 to 95 percent of ovarian cancer cases.

• Blog Post - Cancer Patients Tell It Like It Is

  Cancer patients beg doctors to speak plainly about cancer prognosis and treatment.

• Blog Post - Macular Degeneration: All Eyes Are on Hormone Therapy

  New research shows that taking hormones cuts a woman's risk of macular degeneration in half. But hormone therapy raises the risk for other health conditions.

Questions & Answers

• Question - How can I overcome my father's refusal to ask for help with his cancer care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I get my mother, who has breast cancer, to be more active so she won't lose muscle strength?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I persuade my mother, who has stomach cancer, to quit smoking?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Why is my mother's ovarian cancer causing swelling in her legs and feet?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I get my father, who's depressed about being treated for cancer, to talk about how he's feeling?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - I am on follow up chemo for colorectal cancer, also...

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Why do experts say laughter is helpful for those with cancer?

  Some expert commentary on the benefits of laughter for people with cancer.

• Question - Is chemo effective in treating squarmous cell cancer of the vulva?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What is platumn chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What is biological treatment planning for radiation therapy?

  Biological treatment planning is a new area of radiation therapy. Learn why it holds promise for treating cancers whose tumors grow unevenly.

• Question - Why does my mother need treatment planning for radiation therapy for lung cancer?

  Learn how treatment planning before radiation therapy helps doctors more accurately target a cancerous tumor while avoiding healthy tissue.

• Question - Can chemo for prostate cancer cause the yellowing of the hands only?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - a friend tells me i am emotional over having ovarian cancer,...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can breast cancer that has metasized to the spine spread to the brain?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is it okay to resume tanning after having chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What can I expect when my mother being receiving chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What could be causing a low white and red blood cell count and low platelet count in a former cancer patient?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - My father has bladder cancer and he no longer want to eat or drink. Is there anything we can do?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is shaking as a side effect for chemo for non-hodgkins lymphoma serious?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - If I stop chemo, my doctor says my colon cancer will return. When?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why would chemo cause stomach pain for my dad, who has stage 4 colon cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can chemo affect a person's personality?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Since her cancer diagnosis, my mother has seemed very depressed. Does she need professional help?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My mother has been depressed since her cancer diagnosis; how can I persuade her to see a therapist?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - Can you tell me about a drug called Sumitinib?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I stop feeling resentful that my parent with cancer has become so self-involved?

  How to deal with troubling feelings toward a parent who has become self involved after cancer diagnosis.

• Question - Can cancer be treated as aggressively if you have COPD?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What can I say when my parent with cancer falls into self-pity?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I help my parent with cancer stay positive and look on the bright side?

  Techniques for helping a parent with cancer feel more positive.

• Question - Does chemotherapy shrink tumors while waiting for surgery?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Does guided imagery really control cancer-related pain?

  Is guided meditation or guided imagery helpful in relieving pain from cancer or other diseases? Studies have shown that guided meditation can help.

• Question - My father has colon cancer. What's the best way to deal with his angry outbursts?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I get my father, who has prostate cancer, to accept help from others?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can I give my father a diuretic to help with the swelling in his feet caused by liver cancer?

  When swollen feet are caused by liver cancer, will a diuretic help relieve the swelling? Or is the cause of the swelling more complicated than that?

• Question - How can we convince my father, who has cancer and can not live alone but insists, to move in with us?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do we deal with my daugther's and grandchildren's safety due to her brain tumor?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How can I get my anxiety under control while caring for my mother with lung cancer?

  How do you manage the anxiety of caring for someone with a disease like cancer? Here's expert advice on easing the anxiety and stress of caregiving.

• Question - Is excessively drinking alcohol while receiving chemo unsafe?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I persuade my father to join a clinical trial that could help him fight bone cancer?

  When a parent with cancer won't join a clinical trial, find out why. Then discuss his concerns, given the research and his own prognosis.

• Question - How do I get my brother and sister to share more of the burden of caring for our mother, who has ovarian cancer?

  Brothers and sisters may disagree on how to share the burden of caring for a parent. Read expert tips on delegating work and avoiding resentment.

• Question - How do I get help, such as someone to assist with housework, for a relative undergoing cancer treatment that also lives alone?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Using VP160 on a 79 year old father for his lung cancer

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Should we see an ear, nose and throat specialist for my mother's issues with taste?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can you get pregnant if your husband has leukemia?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How long can you go without chemotherapy without your cancer...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - On the average, how many chemo treatments are usually needed for colon and liver cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is it ok to smoke when you are going through chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Why would my brother-in-law take chemotherapy pills for a skin rash?

  Are skin rashes ever treated with chemotherapy pills? Or are skin rashes a side effect of chemo pills instead?

• Question - I had chemo for breast cancer and now have neuropathy in my feet and legs. What can be done?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can chemo cause side effects for those exposed to the patient receiving it?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What's the best way to ask for a second opinion on my mother's breast cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - What do I do when my mother, who has ovarian cancer, expresses resentment about my siblings not coming to visit her enough?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - If I'm the primary caregiver for my parent with cancer, should I join a caregivers' support group?

  Guidance on the benefits of cancer caregiver support groups and what its like to be part of one.

• Question - Does anyone know the approximate cost of chemo treatment for non-hodgkins lymphoma?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Will Medicare pay for carcinoma of the gums?

  Medicare covers treatment of the gums if it's the kind of care normally provided by a physician, not just by a dentist.

• Question - How can I get my parent's doctor to explain his cancer treatment in a way I can understand?

  When you're having trouble understanding your parent's doctor or oncologist, try these communication tricks to get her to explain more clearly.

• Question - How effective is Dioxil in treating sarcoma?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I get my parent to eat without nagging?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - How do I get my parent's doctor to give us complete and honest information?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I help my parent control nausea while he's on chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I get the doctor to be more responsive when my mother has side effects from chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I convince my dying mother to write a "goodbye" letter to her grandchildren?

  How can I convince my dying mother to write a goodbye letter to her grandchildren? A goodbye letter would create sustaining memories for the children.

• Question - How can I convince my father to stop chemotherapy that's no longer working?

  When is it time to stop chemotherapy? My father wants to continue chemo, even though it's stopped working, because he wants to "keep on fighting."

• Question - My mother, who has breast cancer, asks me to visit her every time she thinks there's a crisis. What should I do?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I comfort my mother when she feels distressed about losing her hair?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can I do to help my mother stop crying all the time?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Why doesn't my mother's doctor want to perform a red blood cell transfusion, just because she's never had one before?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What does 2nd stage cancer mean?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How long does a chemotherapy treatment take?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What can we do for kidney pain during chemo and radiation?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How long will chemoembolization last?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why does my father keep refusing to take his medicine, and how can I get him to take it?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I stop feeling so guilty that I'm not doing enough for my mother?

  How to approach feelings of guilt when caring for a parent with cancer.

• Question - When the doctor prescribes a narcotic painkiller, don't we need to worry about addiction?

  An answer to the question of whether you need to worry about addiction when your parent is taking strong medication for cancer pain.

• Question - What can be done about sores on my head from chemotherapy?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - do drug companies help pay for chemotherapy

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Sex and chemo: Is it safe for the woman?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How does drinking alchohol effect chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - My mom has a "tinny mouth" from the chemotherapy. Her...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is having sex orally with a man safe when going through...

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Doctor recommends quitting chemo. Is this common?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - what kind of meals should i feed my dad to help him...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What is the prognosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer as far as life span from prognosis to recurrence?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Are chills a side effect of chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What happens to patients on chemo if they catch a cold or the flu?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is there a limit on how much chemotherapy one patient has?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What is the red chemo that is administered by a large needle over a 15 minute time span and what are the side effects?

  Adriamycin, aka doxorubicin or the Red Devil, is a red chemo that may be taken with other cancer drugs. Possible side effects include heart failure.

• Question - Should I be having pain when I exercise 7 months after completion of chemo for lung cancer?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Is chemotherapy a common treatment for Rhumatoid Arthitis?

  Is chemo used for rheumatoid arthritis? Rheumatoid arthritis is treated with low doses of chemo to ease inflammation caused by the autoimmune disease.

• Question - Is it normal to be burned severely during chemo and radiation?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - When do side effects from chemo start?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What can I take for persistent uncontrolled coughing while taking chemo that won't make me sleepy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Why would white blood count be low if a person has no cancer?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do I enroll a terminal cancer patient in hospice?

  Finding hospice services and learning their requirements is easy. Getting the best fit might take a little more work.

• Question - What can my grandfather do to help him relax about his cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Will chemo take away quality of life for my mother, who has Alzheimer's?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What do I do when my parent's doctor tells me something important and suggests that I not tell my parent?

  It can be very uncomfortable when you receive information from your parent's doctor that your parent doesn't have. Here's how to handle this difficult situation.

• Question - Is it okay to share a bathroom with someone going through chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is it true that if someone has untreated cancer and needs surgery that the cancer spreads faster once the air hits that area?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Was Abraxane not effective for me if my tumor marker is still high?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I help my mother cope with the side effects from being administered Adriamycin, more than five years ago?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can I do help my brother, who has terminal lung cancer and refuses hospice services?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Answer to Can You Drive a Car While Having Chemo Question

  Driving while having chemo is a personal decision based on how the cancer patient if feeling and whether fatigue and other symptoms might interfere with driving.

• Question - Why is my dad, who has colon cancer have back and stomach pain? Will homeopathic remedies help?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Is 24 hour care needed for a chemotherapy patient with small cell lung cancer, who is 70 years old?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Should I take cigarettes away from my mother, who has Alzheimer's, for fear she'll start a fire?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Why does my mother talk about health issues -- in excruciating detail?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I make a hospital stay easier for my mother with dementia?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My mother doesn't want to know how long she has to live, so how do I say the things I need to say before it's too late?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can we prevent bruising due to low platelets?

  Bruising from low platelets is a common side effect in chemotherapy patients. Find out what you can do to reduce low platelet bruising.

• Question - Why won't my parents and their friends use the word Alzheimer's?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Exactly which chemotherapy drugs are cardiotoxic?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What is Albuterol updrafring with chemotherapy treatment?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - How can I help my Grandfather with his chemo treatments received via catheter?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Are there side effects associated with Taxotere?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Are there portable chemo methods?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - Are ther any birth defects caused by chemotherapy or any...

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - Chemotherapy and parrots in the home?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I get my father to tell the doctor how bad his pain is?

  How to manage your parent's cancer pain by improving communication with the doctor about his pain and pain treatment.

• Question - What can be done about the swelling of the legs and feet...

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - Is there a way to prevent or treat bone pain when my father takes neulasta after chemo?

  Here are some pain management options for those suffering bone pain due to chemotherapy.

• Question - How do you get chills after chemo to stop?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I help my sister cope with chemo?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - Are there any long term effects due to M.O.P.P. chemotherapy...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How soon can we expect the nausea to hit after a chemo treatment and how long does it last?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How long does it take for hair loss to return after chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - Is it safe for a patient doing chemo get a tattoo?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - What is a MUGA test?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What are some tips for a long distance caregiver to a dad with pancreatic cancer?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What types of foods are healthiest for chemo patients?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I gain access to my parent's health records without a durable power of attorney for health care?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is there an alternative to washing my mom's private areas?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I ease my father's discomfort when I have to help him with physically intimate tasks?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What are my responsibilities if I hire a home health aide?

  What are my responsibilities when hiring a home health aide? I'm confused about payroll taxes, Social Security taxes and other benefits.

• Question - Do we tell my grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimers, about a death in the family?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is there any way to help my mother, who's losing her hair, decrease the itching on her scalp?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can low hemoglobin be causing my father's fatigue, and, if so, what can I do to help him feel better?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How careful of germs do we need to be when my father's white blood count is low?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Why won't my parent's doctor order a blood transfusion to boost his platelets?

  When platelets are low, should doctors do a platelet transfusion? Most doctors hold off transfusing unless a patient with low platelets is bleeding.

• Question - How can I prevent frequent nosebleeds caused by low platelets?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How do I gently correct my mother-in-law, who has had brain surgery, when she calls my daughters the wrong name?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I help my father get up from a fall without causing injury to him or me?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How do I handle my elderly mother who doesn't want me to travel at all?

  An elderly parent may worry or get upset when you travel; she may even claim she'll die while you're away. Should you give up travel to ease her mind?

• Question - How do I get help and answers for caring for my 32 yr.old...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Is chemo an option for emphysema?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can I get paid to be my mom's caregiver?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can your body change, longterm, after chemo?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Which systems in the body are affected by chemotherapy?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Does chemotherapy change the scent of a person's skin?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - How do we convince my in-laws to seek alternative housing?

  Assisted living is one solution when ailing parents need help. But instead of moving, they could get a PERS and make modifications to the house.

• Question - How do I encourage my mother, who has limited mobility, to exercise?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - My husband is experiencing severe nasal drip due to chemo. Any suggestions?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Because of her diabetes, my mom has nerve damage to her feet -- what kind of footwear does she need to avoid problems?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can people "protect" their home and have Medicaid pay for nursing home care?

  One spouse may qualify for Medicaid nursing home coverage while the other spouse remains in a home they own.

• Question - I had chemo a year ago. My eyelashes grow in and then fall...

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - I HAVE HEARD WOMENS BODY'S CHANGE AFTER CHEMO. I CAN'T SEEM...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is it safe for a chemo patient who has now grown back their...

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is there help for someone under age 65, who has serious illness and little money?

  For someone under 65 and disabled, government programs can help: Medicaid, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

• Question - Does chemo give your skin a different smell after treatment?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - How can I get help for my ill sister, who doesn't have any family nearby?

  How can I find care for my sister, who is ill and on her own, with no family members nearby to give her a hand?

• Question - Is it ok to drink alcohol while getting chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert and a Community Member

• Question - How fast does hair fall out after three treatments of chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is it normal for blood cells to become enlarged after chemo?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Is there any treatment for smelly, foul smelling fingers and hands during chemotherapy treatment?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What can be done to treat mouth and vaginal sores due to chemo?

  This question has been answered by two Community Members

• Question - is it a good idea to put your IRA in a revocable living trust?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is blurred vision a common chemo side effect?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - My parents are 81 & 82, my father was in a bad car accident...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What are the side affects from having chemo abraxane/avactin when you take blood thinners warfin?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I convince my mother and sister to step back without hurting their feelings?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - How can I help my mom that is disabled from pollio, In the...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What is the chemo treatment referred to as "CHOP"?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Does chemo change your voice?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can you use VA benefits in conjunction with Medicare?

  You can use both Medicare and VA medical benefits, if you qualify for both.

• Question - Do you know the name of a chemo drug that is given through IV?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - answer to name of chemo drug given through IV question

  Many different chemotherapy medications are delivered through an IV drip.

• Question - Is it true that an irrevocable trust does not take effect for five years?

  Get the original document and check out the terms of an irrevocable trust rather than be swayed by rumors as to how it operates.

• Question - Why is my mother's platelet count dropping so drastically?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What are the tax implications for the beneficiaries of my father's IRA and joint stock/mutual fund accounts when he passes away?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Use a Personal Fan to Combat Nausea

  Nausea, which affects about half of those who undergo...

• Tip - Keep Your Parent Well Hydrated to Combat Nausea

  To keep nausea in check, make sure your parent starts...

• Tip - Ear Tubes Can Relieve Earache After Brain Radiation

  One of the common side effects of radiation treatment...

• Tip - Suck on Zinc Lozenges to Combat a Bad Taste in the Mouth

  It's common among cancer patients to complain of a...

• Tip - Reduce Tingling and Numbness from Neuropathy With Powdered L-Glutamine

  The drugs used for chemotherapy have the unfortunate...

• Tip - Cut the Pain of Mouth Sores With Antacid Solutions

  Antacids can help reduce mouth sore pain as a result of chemotherapy or radiation. Learn how to alleviate mouth sore pain by using common antacids.

• Tip - Balance Your Parent's B Vitamins to Prevent and Treat Neuropathy

  Doctors typically suggest taking vitamin B6 -- sometimes...

• Tip - Use a Child-Size Spoon for Swallowing Problems

  People with cancer often have problems swallowing,...

• Tip - Be Wary of Consuming Too Much Ginger to Combat Nausea

  Ginger is often recommended for nausea. Too much ginger may raise the risk of internal bleeding in chemotherapy patients with low platelet counts.

• Tip - Give Liquids Before Meals to Prevent Nausea

  Cancer patients battling nausea often find they start...

• Tip - Serve Small Portions on Large Plates to Control Nausea

  If dealing with nausea is a daily battle for your parent...

• Tip - Treat Radiation Burns With Healing Gel

  How to treat radiation burns. A radiation burn can cause red, raw skin. Heal the pain of burns with cooling gel sheets like Radiacare and RadiaDres.

• Reflection - What I Wish I'd Known: David Rieff

  The author of Swimming in a Sea of Death discusses helping his mother, Susan Sontag, believe she could beat a fatal illness.

• Tip - Protect dry nails caused by cancer treatment

  Protect dry nails during cancer treatment with chemical-free nail polish and polish remover.

• Tip - Crystal Light Helps Cancer Patients Drink Up

  Adding flavor to water can help cancer patients drink more, which helps cope with dry mouth, nausea, and other side effects of cancer treatment.

• Reflection - What I Wish I'd Known: Jamieson Haverkampf

  Jamieson Haverkampf, in Mom Minus Dad: The Essential Resource Guide for Busy Adults With a Newly Widowed Parent, equates care giving with a marathon.