Take Care of Your Own Basics

Protect sleep and rest, regular meals and hydration, your own medical appointments, movement, time with people who know you outside caregiving, and moments when cancer is not the topic. Taking care of yourself does not mean you care less.

You do not need to wait until you are completely exhausted. Give people specific tasks. If several relatives or friends are involved, divide responsibilities rather than allowing one caregiver to quietly become responsible for everything.

It's Okay to Have Complicated Feelings

You can love someone deeply and still feel tired. You can be grateful and frustrated, hopeful and afraid, and need a break. Those feelings do not make you a bad caregiver.

Know When to Reach Out for More Support

If stress, anxiety, sadness, exhaustion, or caregiving responsibilities feel unmanageable, talk with your healthcare professional or ask the cancer care team whether caregiver support services are available.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT

You're caring for someone you love.
You deserve
support too.

Touch4Life helps caregivers feel more prepared and supported, every step of the way.

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START WHERE YOU ARE

What do you need help with today?

Caregiving changes from day to day. You do not have to figure everything out at once. Start with what feels most important right now.

New to Caregiving

You may suddenly find yourself helping with appointments, medications, information, family communication, or everyday responsibilities.

Jump to Caregiver Basics →

Helping with Treatment

Cancer treatment can involve appointments, tests, medications, instructions, and a lot of unfamiliar information.

Jump to Understanding Cancer Care →

Managing Everyday Needs

Meals, transportation, work, children, medications, household responsibilities, and appointments can quickly become part of caregiving.

Jump to Everyday Support →

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Your Wellbeing Matters Too

Caring for someone you love can ask a lot of you, so protecting your own well-being is part of the care too.

Support Your Own Well-Being →

HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING

You don't have to become the medical expert.

Cancer can come with unfamiliar words, reports, tests, and treatment options. Understanding a few basics can help you listen more confidently, ask better questions, and support your loved one.

You do not have to understand every medical term. Start with four basic questions. What type of cancer is it?Ask:What is the exact name of the cancer?Where did it begin?Has it spread anywhere else?What is the stage?Stage generally describes how much cancer is present and whether it has spread.Ask the care team to explain what the stage means in everyday language and how it affects treatment.What does the pathology report tell us?A pathology report contains information about tissue or cells examined in a laboratory.Ask:What are the most important things in this report for us to understand?Does anything in this report affect the treatment plan?What happens next?Before leaving the appointment, make sure you understand:What happens next?When will it happen?Who schedules it?Who should we call if we have questions?

Genetic testing and biomarker testing can sound similar because both may involve genes, but they answer different questions.Biomarker TestingBiomarker testing looks at characteristics of the cancer itself.The results may help the care team better understand the cancer and, in some cases, determine whether certain treatments may be more or less likely to work.Questions to AskHas biomarker testing been done?What was tested?What did the results tell us?Could the results affect treatment options?Are additional tests worth discussing?Genetic TestingGenetic testing looks for inherited gene changes that may increase the risk of certain cancers.Those results may matter not only to the person with cancer, but also to their biological relatives.Questions to AskCould this cancer be connected to an inherited gene change?Should we speak with a genetic counselor?Could genetic testing affect treatment?Could the results matter for children, siblings, parents, or other relatives?Visual CalloutBiomarker testing asks:What can we learn about this cancer?Genetic testing asks:Could an inherited change affect this person or their family?

Appointments can move quickly, especially when emotions are high.You do not have to remember everything. A little preparation can help make sure the important things do not get lost.Before the AppointmentWrite down your top three questions.Bring an updated medication list.Bring requested reports or records.Write down symptoms or changes that need to be discussed.Ask your loved one what they want you to bring up.During the AppointmentTake notes.Ask for unfamiliar terms to be explained.Useful questions include:Can you explain that another way?What does that mean for us?What are our options?What happens next?Who should we call if something changes?Before You LeaveMake sure you know:The next stepNew medication instructionsSymptoms the care team wants reportedWho to contact with questionsThe purpose of the next appointment

Explore More Cancer Information for Caregivers →

EVERYDAY CARE

Cancer Becomes Part Of Everyday Life.
Everyday Life Does Not Disappear.

Food, transportation, medications, household responsibilities, work, children, rest, and emotional well-being can all become part of caregiving. The goal is not for one person to do everything.

Nutrition & Wellness

Cancer and treatment can affect appetite, taste, energy, digestion, and the desire to eat. Ask the care team about foods, supplements, or restrictions. Focus on what your loved one can tolerate and what the clinical team recommends.

If eating, swallowing, weight loss, hydration, or other concerns arise, ask whether an oncology registered dietitian is available.

Explore B-FRESH →

Your Family's Health

One person's cancer diagnosis can sometimes raise questions for the entire family. Family health history can help relatives recognize patterns and discuss risks with healthcare providers.

Talk with relatives when possible. Record cancer diagnoses, major conditions, age at diagnosis, which side of the family was affected, and conditions repeated across generations. You do not need a perfect family record.

Download the Family Health History Toolkit →

Helpful Tips for Everyday Needs

Meals and nutrition

Transportation and appointments

Work, school and daily schedules

Childcare and parenting tips

Finances and paying for care

Home care, safety and equipment

Local and online resources

“Could you bring dinner Tuesday?”
“Can you drive us to Thursday’s appointment?”
“Could you pick up this prescription?”
“Can you update the family after the appointment?”

Specific requests make it easier for people to actually help.

BECAUSE YOU MATTER TOO

Your well-being matters too.

Caregiving can be loving, meaningful, frustrating, exhausting, frightening, funny, and beautiful, sometimes all in the same week. You may be so focused on the person you love that your own needs slowly disappear from the list. They still matter. Supporting yourself is part of supporting the person you love.

A QUICK GUIDE FOR CAREGIVERS

Five things to remember.

Keep these in mind as you support someone you love.

1 Write it down

You will hear more information than anyone can reasonably remember.

2 Ask the question again.

Understanding matters more than pretending you understood.

3 Know who to call.

Have a clear contact for medical questions and know what to do if something changes.

4 Let other people help.

Give them specific jobs instead of carrying everything yourself.

5 Remember whose journey this is.

Let the person with cancer remain at the center of decisions about their body, treatment, and care.

You're supporting them. Let us support you.

You do not have to master cancer care overnight. Start with the next question. The next appointment. The next meal. The next conversation. One step at a time is still forward.

Explore My Genes My Life →

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