Life moves pretty fast these days, especially for members of the mesothelioma community. While attending appointments, exploring treatment options, running errands and providing care for a loved one facing mesothelioma, caregivers may find it difficult to keep family members informed. For larger families, communicating is even more complicated. Keeping my family informed during my father’s battle with mesothelioma was tedious at times. Most families have a desire to keep in touch and have genuine concerns for their loved one facing cancer. Cancer patients may not feel up to making phone calls or regularly sending messages to update family members. Caregivers may not have the time to communicate with friends and loved ones. Poor communication among family members can cause anxiety and unnecessary stress for families dealing with cancer. Implementing an efficient communication strategy may help families overcome the challenges of keeping others informed. With a little planning and coordination, family caregivers can break down barriers that hinder adequate communication. Keeping everyone up to date regarding their loved one’s health, physical and emotional needs and necessary support is more conducive to creating a healing environment. Typical Barriers to Good CommunicationWhen families deal with cancer, their stress levels rise. People under pressure must exhibit additional effort to manage emotions. Adequate communication is a task that may be more difficult during times of heightened stress. Further complicating communication is the emotional intensity of information being shared and the sense of urgency of relaying updates to intended recipients. My family seemed to run into several roadblocks while trying to keep loved ones updated regarding my father’s health. Some common communication barriers my family encountered include:
Clearing the ConfusionThrough our family’s experiences with finding time to communicate, misunderstanding messages and misinterpreting information, we learned a few things about keeping everyone up to date about Dad’s health. Families may benefit from designating one person to keep others informed. Taking a group approach to communicating can help get everyone on the same page quickly. Having a previously delegated chain of information can alleviate some of the stress of relaying updates as well. Social media may also break down communication barriers such as time constraints and distance.
Despite all of the resources available for families, mesothelioma caregivers gain expertise through hands-on experience. Through my family’s challenges of keeping loved ones informed, we learned it is much easier to allow others to help with relaying messages. We came to realize it is easier to report to a group one time, rather than repeating the same update to each family member. Social media wasn’t available back in the 1990s when my father faced mesothelioma, but my family could have benefited from such a valuable communication resource. Sometimes, the unknown elements of dealing with cancer are more anxiety-provoking than the anticipated challenges that accompany a diagnosis. Excellent communication among friends and family chip away at the unknown one conversation at a time. Keeping loved ones informed eases worries and focuses everyone’s attention toward the next goal. The post Crisis Communication Best Practices for Mesothelioma Caregivers appeared first on Mesothelioma Center – Vital Services for Cancer Patients & Families. from https://healthyfamilyfuture.com/2019/03/01/crisis-communication-best-practices-for-mesothelioma-caregivers/
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