ABSTRACT
This chapter provides guidelines for the non-professional carer and is intended to offer practical advice and ideas. It is very easy to become so involved with caring for the patient that a person can neglect his/her own health. The check-up with the dentist, the mammogram or smear test the person was due to have or even a simple blood pressure check can all become consigned to the increasing list of things to do ‘when the person has time’. Getting a clean bill of health will give the person peace of mind but, if anything is wrong, it is always best that it is caught early on. Cancer is not an infectious disease. Sometimes it is helpful to make a note of which members of a person's family have had cancer and what kind of cancer they had. What is most important is to note any blood relatives who have been affected by the similar types of cancer.
