September 8 is Stand Up to Cancer Day. This is the ideal opportunity for you as a family caregiver to work with your elderly parent to learn more about cancer, how it can impact your aging parent, and the ways that you will need to adjust your care routine to help your parent either reduce the risk that they are going to suffer from some form of this condition, or to give them the care that they need to handle it if they do develop it. This starts with knowing as much as you can about cancer and its impact on elderly adults.
Some things that you should know about cancer and how it can impact elderly adults include:
- There are nearly 1,689,000 new cases of cancer throughout the United States each year
- Nearly 601,000 deaths in the United States are caused by cancer each year
- There are 28 forms of cancer considered “rare” forms of cancer that make up 13 percent of all new cases of cancer in adults over the age of 20
- Approximately 60 percent of all new cases of cancer that occur in the United States occur in the population of older adults aged 64 years and above
- Seniors have cancer incidence rates that are 10 to 11 times higher than those of younger adults
- Older adults have a 20 to 30 percent chance of developing cancer
- Approximately 70 percent of deaths due to cancer occur in older adults
- Breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers are the most common cancers among adults over the age of 50
- Elderly adults have lower five-year survival rates than younger adults
If you have been consider ways that you can enhance your aging parent’s life and help them to live a lifestyle that is more fulfilling, engaged, and independent throughout their later years, now may be the ideal time for you to consider starting home care services for them. A home care services provider can be with your aging parent on a schedule that is right not just for their needs, but also for the care that you are able to give them. This means that they can stay as healthy, safe, comfortable, and happy as possible as they age in place, and you can feel confident that they are getting everything that they need both when you are able to be with them and when you are not.
Sources: http://www.standuptocancer.org/
https://www.ons.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdfs/Evidence%20Based%20Practice_Older_Adult_CHAPTER_1.pdf
https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/cancer-facts-figures-2017.html