How Can You Help Your Senior Lower the Risk of Recurring Thyroid Cancer?

By Marlene Diaz | September 28, 2017 |

When your parent finishes their treatment plan for thyroid cancer, you are probably excited and happy that this element of the journey is over. Both of you, however, are probably concerned about the possibility that their cancer will return. This is referred to as recurrence and can happen even years after your parent undergoes initial treatment for their cancer. This might make you wonder if there is anything that you can do to help your parent reduce the risk that they will experience such a recurrence.

Home Health Care Kirkland WA – How Can You Help Your Senior Lower the Risk of Recurring Thyroid Cancer?

The truth is that there is no real rhyme or reason as to who will experience a recurrence of thyroid cancer and who will not. Experts are not certain what leads to such recurrences, so they cannot make absolute recommendations as to what can be done to prevent this in any cancer patient.

There are some lifestyle choices, however, that are thought to reduce the risk that your parent will experience a recurrence of thyroid cancer, or that they will develop another cancer after their initial cancer treatment.

Some of these lifestyle choices include:

Eat a healthy, balanced diet full of the nutrients that their body needs to thrive and to resist illness and other health issues.
Avoid consumption of alcohol or limit such consumption to no more than one alcoholic beverage per day.
Quit all forms of tobacco use and avoid exposure to smoke, such as when living with a smoker or visiting a restaurant.
Boost physical activity to keep their body stronger and healthier.
Reduce stress and seek ways to support better mental and emotional health and well-being.

Starting home health care for your aging parent can be an exceptional way for you to support a higher quality of life as they age in place. A home health care services provider can be with your parent on a customized schedule designed specifically to address your elderly parent’s individual needs, challenges, and limitations.

These highly personalized services help your parent stay healthy, safe, comfortable, and happy while also encouraging as much independence as possible. Services ranging from safe and reliable transportation, meal preparation and eating assistance, help with personal care needs such as bathing, toileting, and dressing, companionship, and help with caring for their home can encourage your parent to maintain a more fulfilling lifestyle and support greater motivation and mental, emotional, and physical health and well-being as they age in place.

As their family caregiver, this can give you confidence that they are getting what they need both when you are able to fulfill their needs and when you are not.

Sources: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/thyroid-cancer/about.html
http://www.thyca.org/how-to-help/awareness/september/
https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/emotional-side-effects/distress/what-is-distress.html

If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Health Care Services in Kirkland WA, contact the caring staff at Hospitality Home Care today. Call us at (206) 966-6552.

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Marlene Diaz

Care Supervisor at Hospitality Home Care

Marlene brings to Hospitality Home Care's Care Supervisor Team an unprecedented level of passion for caring for others and a wealth of knowledge and understanding in the care services field. Marlene has worked in the healthcare field for more than 15 years in a variety of settings including, adult family home administration, home care HR supervising and working with specialty populations including dementia, mental health and developmental disabilities. Throughout this time Marlene has also maintained her caregiver credentials that she obtained as a teenager because, while her knowledge is best served helping to train caregivers and assist families to get the care they need, her heart is most fulfilled when she is providing care to others. When she is not in the office, you will most likely find Marlene caring for her family, or spending time with her friends.