Help at home for looking after someone with cancer

This page gives information about who can provide help at home for people with cancer and their carers. 

Your GP will help with any medical problems that come up. The GP can also arrange for nursing help. This includes

  • District nurses
  • Macmillan nurses
  • Marie Curie nurses

District nurses can give nursing care, advice and get you special equipment to help you, such as a commode or bed pan.

Macmillan nurses specialise in advising on pain control, sickness and other symptoms of cancer. They also give emotional support to carers as well as the person with the cancer.

Marie Curie nurses give nursing care to people in their own homes. They can visit during the day or spend the night to give you a break.

For other types of help, it is a good idea to talk to a social worker. You can find them through social services or sometimes through the hospital where your relative is treated. They can arrange

  • Home helps for shopping or housework
  • Home care assistants for washing and dressing
  • Meals on wheels
  • Respite care

Respite care is when your relative goes into hospital or your local hospice for a couple of days, or a week or so, to give you a break. Your social worker can also help you with money matters by checking you are getting all the government benefits you are entitled to. They can arrange charity grants for things like extra heating costs or special diets.

There are many other sorts of help. What is available varies from place to place. Sometimes local voluntary groups offer sitting services (someone to come in and stay with your relative while you go out). There may be good neighbour schemes which offer befriending or practical help with shopping or transport. You may be able to find a local cancer support group.  Many offer practical help. And they will be a good source of information about the services in your area.

If you would like more information about anything to do with coping at home, contact our cancer information nurses. They will be happy to help.

Our page about who can help in the main coping with cancer section also has more information.