What You Should Know about Blood Cancer Awareness Month

Senior Care in Natick MA

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. This month, focus your family caregiver efforts on learning more about blood cancer so that you can be better prepared to give your aging parent the care that they need should this be a part of your care experience with them.

Some things that you should know about blood cancer include:

• A new case of blood cancer is diagnosed every four minutes in the United States
• This accounts for nearly 202,000 cases each year
• There are currently more than 327, 5000 people throughout the United States living with leukemia
• There are currently nearly 761,700 people throughout the United States who are living with either Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Somewhere between 35,000 and 55,000 people throughout the United States are currently living with myelodysplastic syndromes
• Nearly 96,000 people throughout the United States are living with myeloma
• Approximately 67,870 people throughout the United States die each year as a result of blood cancer
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the 6th most commonly diagnosed cancer throughout the United States
• Nearly 150 people are diagnosed with leukemia in the United State each day
• Nearly 70 people die from leukemia in the United States each day
• More than 220 people are diagnosed with lymphoma in the United States each day
• Nearly 60 people die from lymphoma in the United States each day
• Leukemia is equally prevalent in men and women
• Leukemia occurs in all races
• Blacks have an approximately 8 percent lower five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and leukemia than whites
• Leukemia is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Hispanics and their five-year survival rate is lower than that of whites

Blood cancer, like any cancer, can be a challenging experience for your aging parent and for you both as their caregiver and their adult child. It is important that you do everything that you can to help them handle their diagnosis and their journey with this disease in the way that is right for them according to their thoughts, beliefs, and convictions. The goal is to help them to live the highest quality of life possible, whether that means starting an aggressive form of treatment or choosing not to pursue treatment and instead focusing on living their life happily and comfortably.

If your aging loved one has recently been diagnosed with blood cancer, or any other type of cancer, starting senior care for them can be one of the best ways to help them through this challenging time. A non-medical caregiver can be with your parent to offer a personalized set of services that are tailored specifically to help them handle their individual needs, challenges, and limitations both as pertains to the cancer and that don’t. This means that your parent can enjoy a lifestyle that is more active, engaged, independent, and fulfilling, while also knowing that they will receive the physical support and assistance, treatment reminders and emotional support that they need to properly combat their cancer in the way that is right for them.

http://www.allbloodcancers.org/statistics