Are you a caregiver for someone with head and neck cancer?

Support is important for anyone dealing with cancer—including caregivers.

While you help care for someone with head and neck cancer, it’s important that you take good care of yourself, too—in both body and mind. Six tips from the National Cancer Institute on staying healthy while helping someone else may help. Please consult with your healthcare professional before following any of the recommendations below:

Stay on schedule with your own medical needs: This includes checkups, screenings, and tests.
Keep taking your medicines as prescribed: To save time, ask your doctor for extra refills, and try to have your medicines delivered.
Maintain healthy eating habits: For your own sake and your loved one’s sake. If your loved one is hospitalized or has long medical appointments, bring along easy to pack but healthy foods like sandwiches, salads, and fruits.
Get plenty of rest: If sleep is a continuing problem for you, talk with your doctor.
Stay active: Enjoy any kind of physical activity at least 15 minutes per day. Walking, gardening, cleaning, or just going up and down the stairs can help.
Manage stress: Giving yourself time to relax is an important part of self-care. Read, talk on the phone, stretch, or whatever helps you unwind.

Read the Caregiver’s Bill of Rights.

In addition to the tips above, the following thoughts, written by an unknown caregiver, may help comfort you even while you do the same for your loved one:

I have the right to take care of myself
I have the right to seek help from others
I have the right to maintain parts of my life that do not include the person I care for
I have the right to get angry, be depressed, and express difficult feelings once in a while
I have the right to reject any attempt to control me through guilt or anger
I have the right to consideration, affection, forgiveness, and acceptance
I have the right to take pride in what I’m doing
I have the right to protect my individuality

Learn about available resources

42 Several kinds of support groups are available to meet the individual needs of people at all stages of cancer treatment, from diagnosis through follow-up care. Some groups are general cancer support groups, while more specialized groups may be for teens or young adults, for family members, or for people affected by a particular disease. Support groups may be led by a professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker, or by cancer patients or survivors.

Visit TheFamilyCaregiver
The National Family Caregivers Association educates, supports, empowers, and speaks up for the more than 50 million Americans who care for loved ones with a chronic illness, or disability or the frailties of old age.

Visit The National Alliance For Caregiving
Established in 1996, The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit coalition of national organizations focusing on issues of family caregiving. The Alliance's mission is to be the objective national resource on family caregiving with the goal of improving the quality of life for families and care recipients.

Visit The American Cancer Society (ACS)
The American Cancer Society resources provide information especially for caregivers on topics such as coping, how to provide care, and connecting with other caregivers.

Visit Cancer Care
CancerCare is a national nonprofit organization that provides free, professional support services for anyone affected by cancer, including access to online support groups.

Visit The Cancer Supportive Care Program
The Cancer Supportive Care Program contains a wealth of information on various topics, including anemia, nutrition, fatigue, and pain control.

Visit Onco Link
Onco Link is a resource from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania that provides a Coping With Cancer section that offers support and resources for caregivers.

Visit Vital Options International
Vital Options International^®, Inc. offers psychological and social support for patients and families by using communications technology. This nonprofit organization holds The Group Room^®, a nationally syndicated call-in radio show each week that is simulcast live on the Web.