• All About INTRON® A
  • What Is INTRON® A?
  • Why INTRON® A?
  • Getting Started
  • Treatment with INTRON® A
  • Managing Side Effects
• Understanding Your Condition
  • Malignant Melanoma
  • Skin Basics
  • What Is Cancer?
  • Types of Skin Cancer
  • Focus on Melanoma
• Give and Get Support
  • For People Living with Melanoma
  • For People Who Care
• Professional Resources
  • Indications
  • Why INTRON® A
  • Managing Therapy
  • Patient Support
  • Professional Resources
  • Contact Information

Caring for Yourself

For caregivers, accepting help isn't selfish, it's a way of taking care of yourself so you can better help your loved one.

When you seek out and accept support:

• You look after your own health, which is important
• The person you're caring for might feel less guilty about putting all the burden on you
• Other helpers may have spare time you don't have
• Other helpers may be able to do things that you cannot (such as drive; cook meals; play cards or board games; serve as a cheerful, well-rested visitor)

Where to look for help

Start with family members, friends, neighbors, close coworkers, people at your place of worship. Clubs, civic groups, sports teams, carpools...anyone involved in your life may be willing to help you.

Make up a list of specific needs and dates/times (such as shopping, meals, rides to appointments, pet care) and then let people choose what role feels right for them. In fact, you might want to ask someone else to organize and coordinate all the helpers for you, so that you can focus on giving care and caring for yourself. Many people probably want to help.

Read more about reaching out for help.

Helpful Action Steps

• Try to focus on what you can control and let go of the rest
• Make daily or weekly lists and cross off things that are not essential; think about who else could take care of some of the important things on your list
• Find ways to talk about your feelings; consider speaking with a professional counselor, psychologist, or spiritual advisor
• Continue doing things you enjoy as much as possible; even little breaks of 15 or 30 minutes each day can make a difference
• Give yourself permission to say "no" sometimes
• Exercise
• Eat a healthy diet and keep up with your own medicines and medical appointments

Find respite help

The word "respite" means rest or relief. Caring for someone through diagnosis, surgery, and a year of treatment for melanoma is a long commitment. You need and deserve regular breaks from caretaking. Find ways to give yourself an afternoon or evening off on a regular basis. Whether you want to go to the movies, work out at the gym, visit with friends, or just relax and read a book...time for yourself can help you re-energize and relax.

There are different places to find respite help, including:

• Friends, family, neighbors
• Religious communities
• Government agencies
• Nonprofit groups

Talk to someone on the melanoma health care team if you are having trouble finding respite care.

Join a support group

There are many different types of support groups for people living with cancer and caregivers. You may find many different benefits of a support group, from having a safe place to talk about difficult feelings, to practical tips for dealing with the daily grind.

Learn more about support groups for you and your loved one.