Caregivers for HNC survivors are important
Caregivers play a crucial role in the physical and emotional well-being of people with cancer. This role is especially important for HNC as survivors are more likely to lack familial and social support and require more frequent and more detailed care while at home. HNC survivors tend to be older; face increased social isolation; and need help with feeding, communicating (speaking), and adhering to treatment. These factors impede core aspects of daily life for HNC patients, thus necessitating significant responsibilities for informal caregivers. Caregivers often face challenges such as managing their emotional and physical stress, balancing work and family responsibilities, and needing help keeping the person they care for safe. To this mix in the current crisis is the balance of keeping themselves safe from infection and sustaining adequate survivor engagement to maintain health. Finally, survivors in rural areas may lack access to an already-diminished pool of caregivers, and perceived stigma or feelings of guilt in asking for help among rural cancer survivors are additional barriers to obtaining needed assistance.