Supporting your loved one after a mesothelioma diagnosis

Learning that your loved one is diagnosed with mesothelioma is disheartening and scary. One of the first things you’re going to have to take care of is figuring out what your new role is going to be. More than likely, you’re going to be thrust into becoming a caregiver.

Helping to care for someone who has a terminal diagnosis isn’t easy. You’re going to need to take things slowly while still ensuring that your loved one gets what they need. Remembering a few basic points might help you through this.

Take care of yourself

You can’t care for your loved one if you aren’t in good shape yourself. Make sure that you accept help when it’s offered and find individuals who can handle tasks for you. You’ll also need a good support system that you can count on when you need to vent about what’s going on, so be sure to keep your friends and family members close to you.

Organize information

There is going to be a lot of information that you’ll be given and some that you need to keep handy. You’ll need copies of the prescriptions your loved one takes, as well as specific information about their diagnosis. Make a list of the health care providers, insurance companies and anyone else who is involved in your loved one’s care. If they are on hospice or have home health coming out, you need this information readily available.

Set a schedule

Your loved one may have a detailed medication schedule that they need to follow as they cope with mesothelioma. You may also be dealing with therapy and doctor appointments. Keeping everything in one place may help you to set a daily, weekly and monthly schedule so that you know what’s going on and aren’t getting overwhelmed with things that you forgot about.

Gather legal documents

Try to make sure that your loved one has all the legal documents they need. While they’re still in good mental shape, consider getting the powers of attorney designations and advance directives done if they aren’t already. The powers of attorney give someone the ability to make financial and/or medical decisions if your loved one becomes incapacitated. The advance directives outline their wishes for medical care options.

Finally, consider helping your loved one fight for compensation. While this compensation isn’t going to make their days any easier, it may give them some measure of peace to know that they are holding the liable parties accountable for what they’re going through. Plus, the financial aspects of seeking compensation may give them comfort since they’ll know that they aren’t going to leave you in a dire financial situation if the claim for compensation is successful.