Part 7: Carer involvement in decision-making

Discuss medical information

You can discuss the information about the treatment options provided by health professionals, helping the patient to understand the information and recall what was said.

You can read written materials you/the patient has been given and help the patient to understand these.

You can read information on reputable websites to supplement your/the patients' understanding of treatment options.

Remember: Focus on reputable information - information from your cancer care team and from trusted Government (Cancer Australia, Better Health Channel ) and non-Government websites such as Cancer Council NSW. Try to avoid relying on blogs and forums - which are rarely based on high quality scientific information.

Provide support

You can provide both practical and emotional support to the patient as they make their decision:

You can act as a sounding board for the patient to talk through different options - this involves listening to them, reflecting back their thoughts, and summarising what they are thinking.

You can discuss what is important to them and reflect back what they are saying.

You can help the patient work through the practical aspects of different treatment options. For example, if they are concerned about getting to the hospital each day for radiation therapy, you can help them figure out transportation.

You can let them know that you are confident in their ability to make this decision.

You can help the patient to process and accept their decision.

Give advice

If the patient wants you to be actively involved in coming to a decision, you could provide your opinion or advice.

This might include stating your opinion about the decision or highlighting issues the patient might want to consider. It is important to ultimately respect the patient's right to make a final decision.

You can also help the patient to filter through the opinions of others. It can be overwhelming for the patient to to have many different opinions thrown at them, but this is often the case when well-meaning friends and family want to help the patient.

The patient's healthcare team will support you both through making any treatment decisions, so it is important to share your thoughts with them as well.