TAMPA, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Clinical trials are generally for a
patient, not the people taking care of the patient; but a new study focuses on
the caregiver and how support can help everyone involved.
Louise Jolliff is the ultimate caregiver. For 40 years, she has taken care of
her son, Jerry, who has cerebral palsy and for the last five years, she has been
caring for her husband, Wade, who has prostate cancer. "Without her, I think I
would probably not make it, but with her, I can do anything," Wade says. "Care
giving is very hard because everybody says, 'You've gotta take care of
yourself,'" Louise told Ivanhoe. "That sounds very good, but it's very difficult
to do."
More than 50 million people in the United States are caregivers. Their help
saves the health care system more than $300 billion a year. That's why a new
clinical trial focuses on educating the caregiver. Study project manager Darlene
Johnson is passionate about this research because she is a tongue cancer
survivor. Her husband was her caregiver. "I went home and told him about the
study, and he said, 'Ah, man. I wish I had something like that when you were
going through this,' because he felt very insecure himself," Johnson of the
Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., told Ivanhoe.
For the study, caregivers will have one-on-one time with a nurse and receive a
home care guide book. Some of the advice: 1) take time to rest -- devote at
least 30 minutes a day to yourself; 2) Be open in your conversations with the
patient -- talk about life and death; 3) Watch for signs of depression and 4)
Let the sick person make as many decisions as possible.
"I think this training will be invaluable," Johnson says. "Whatever you don't
understand, you can ask a lot of questions," Louise adds. Louise also says she
does one thing to help her get through each day: "I do a lot of praying, and
that gives me strength."
The study at Moffitt Cancer Center is open to patients and their caregivers for
the next year. To qualify for the trial, patients must be older than 70 years of
age and have a diagnosis of colon cancer or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Tampa, FL
(813) 745-3822
http://www.moffitt.org
