Finding Balance While Supporting a Clinical Trial Participant: Tips for Care Partners

1. Learn About the Clinical Trial

Make sure you understand how often your loved one will have visits, tests, and treatments. With their permission, ask questions about potential side effects and get ideas for things you might want to have at home to support your loved one. Knowing what to expect may ease anxiety and help you feel more prepared for what your loved one might need.¹

2. Keep a Shared Calendar

Keeping track of appointments, medications, and follow-ups could possibly become overwhelming during a clinical trial. If your loved one is relying on you for transportation or support, a shared calendar, whether it’s a paper version at home or your phone calendars, can help you stay organized.

3. Consider Telling Your Employer (If You Feel Comfortable)

If you're balancing work with being a care partner, it might help to talk to your employer about your situation, but only if you feel comfortable doing so. Some companies may offer compassionate or caregiver leave or Family Medical Leave, which allows time off to care for a seriously ill family member.

Talking to your employer could also open doors for flexible work options like adjusted hours, remote work or reduced schedules. But it’s always your choice. If privacy feels more important, that’s okay too. Non-profit organizations such as Triage Cancer, CancerCare, and Patient Advocate Foundation offer free information and educational resources on a variety of topics to support individuals and caregivers around practical considerations on navigating a cancer diagnosis.

These independent third-party websites are just an example of resources that may be available*.

4. Take Care of Yourself

Being a care partner can be demanding, so it’s important to take care of your own health too.¹ Keep up with your regular medical and dental appointments, and don’t delay any important screenings.¹ Give yourself permission to take breaks, whether it’s a short walk, a quiet cup of coffee, time with a friend, or simply a few deep breaths in a calm space.¹ Even small moments for yourself can be valuable.

5. Ask for Help

Being in the role of the care partner sometimes helps to give people a way to feel they are making a difference – and it often does.² But it’s also important to remember that it can be hard for one person to do it all. You might consider ways to share other family responsibilities such as asking the parents of your children's teammates for rides to practice or asking a neighbor to help with dog walking or grocery pickups. Tools like Lotsa Helping Hands and Meal Train make it easy to organize help and let others show up in ways that matter.

Final Thoughts

Supporting someone in a clinical trial takes understanding and commitment. Be kind to yourself along the way. Your needs are important, too. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure, don’t hesitate to speak up.

MRC-US-ALI-00116 10/25