In-Home Care: With the time you spend caring for your elderly loved, you may spend some of that wondering what type of health issues they might encounter.

While the future can’t be predicted, there are some health problems that you may want to learn more about. That way, if your elderly loved one does get these issues, you and your In-Home Care provider know what to look for and how to handle them. One thing you might want to think about, and maybe you already are, is cancer. Two types of cancer that are common in the elderly are breast and prostate cancer.

Breast Cancer Information

There are millions of women who get breast cancer. However, it is important to know that men can get breast cancer, too. It just isn’t as common. Some things that you should have your elderly loved one to tell you or their in-home care providers about include:

Changes in their nipples or breasts
New lumps or bumps they feel during self-exams
Dimples on the breasts

It is important that you and your elderly loved one know that not every change to the breast means they have breast cancer. However, any changes they do have should be reported to their doctor. You or a home care provider should also have them see their doctor to get an exam in the office. The doctor is more experienced and can determine if these changes should be assessed through ultrasound or other tests.

Prostate Cancer Information

There are many elderly men that get prostate cancer, as well. In fact, elderly men are about 20 times more likely to get this type of cancer than men who are younger. If you are taking care of your male elderly loved one, there are some things you should have them tell you about if they experience them. Some of these symptoms include:

Trouble urinating
Dribbling after using the bathroom
Need to urinate more often than usual

Sometimes, these symptoms can signify a urinary tract infection or other health issues. However, if your elderly loved one does have these symptoms, it may best for you or an in-home care provider to schedule an appointment with their doctor. The doctor can run tests to determine the cause of these symptoms.

In-Home Care: Conclusion

Now you and your in-home care provider have a bit more information about breast and prostate cancer. When caring for your elderly loved one, make sure you let them know to tell someone if they experience the symptoms above. If they do have cancer, the earlier it is caught and treated, the better chances they have at beating it.