Caring for loved ones with brain tumors means that you are dealing with medical issues at the same time that you also are serving as a source of important emotional support for the person facing cancer. As a family caregiver, you are called upon to perform a large variety of tasks to provide care for your loved one.

For example, family caregivers:

• Organize and administer medications
• Communicate with physicians, nurses, and social workers
• Provide transportation
• Take care of home chores including cooking and cleaning
• Help with dressing changes
• Assist with physical therapy and occupational therapy exercises
• Research and negotiate medical insurance benefits and submit claims
• Attend to business, legal and financial matters
• Monitor medication side effects

For most family caregivers, responsibilities at work and home do not stop when a loved one gets ill. Your own personal needs for rest and attention to your own health do not go away either. This means that you may find yourself juggling multiple responsibilities, some of which may conflict.

While no amount of information can eliminate the physical work and emotional challenges of caring for a loved one who is ill, the helpful hints presented in this site are designed to ease the frustration and sense of isolation you may feel while doing what can sometimes seem like an impossible job. Included you will find tips on which situations call for professional help, so you will have a better sense of what you can expect, when to call the doctor, and what you can do at home to help.