I have moved my mum in with me.
Shes has terminal bowel cancer, she gets very confused lately. I have to dress and undress her, bath her. But today I have had to help her feeding and drinking. She now tells me she cand see, due to cataracts, she can't distinguish whether the light is on. She was given 4 months from last July. So has lasted well. I am still working full time, thankfully its only through 1 door.
Hi Gazza21
Thanks for getting in touch with us and welcome to the online community. My name’s Simon and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses on the Macmillan Support Line.
It’s hard caring for a loved one such as your mum at home, especially if you continue to work full time, whether it is at home or not. It must be distressing for your mum also with her loss of vision due to her cataracts.
At the Macmillan Support Line, we do not have access to NHS systems or anyone’s medical records. As a result, it is impossible for us to consider approximate life expectations.
I’m wondering if you have a palliative care team involved in supporting your mum at home. They are specialists in symptom control and be a valuable support for both your mum and you. With their involvement, they would be able to discuss your mum’s general condition and help answer some of the questions you may have as well as supporting you both. Your mum’s GP can make a referral to the local community palliative care team for her. You can also speak to your mum’s GP about any other support that may be available to help you both and to answer any questions you may have.
You can also contact your local adult social services team to arrange an assessment for carers to help support you in looking after your mum at home. You can search for local contact details on this website.
It is important that you look after yourself during this stressful time and gain as much support as is available. Information on support for carers can be found here. You may also find signing up to our online carers’ forum helpful too. You may want to consider whether there are any benefits to provide financial support whilst caring for your mum, or to consider what support you can expect from your employer too. You can speak with advisors in our Welfare Rights Team and Work Support Teams by contacting them on 0808 808 0000.
I hope this information is of some help.
Best wishes
Simon: Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
Ref/SMJ/ LJ
