Medical Oncologist
Caretaker guide
Preparing the house for chemotherapy
Do it once, before cycle one, in an afternoon. Set up a clean resting space near a bathroom, put all medicines in one place, post the emergency sheet on the fridge, remove what people trip over, stock the kitchen for the hard days, and decide who does what. None of it is expensive.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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The short answer
How should you prepare the house before chemotherapy starts?
Do it once, before cycle one, in an afternoon. Set up a clean resting space near a bathroom, sort the medicines into one place, put the emergency sheet on the fridge, remove the things people fall over, stock the kitchen for the hard days, and decide who does what. None of it is expensive, and all of it is far harder to arrange in the middle of a bad week.
The aim is not a sterile house. Nobody needs to repaint, buy special equipment or keep the family out. The aim is a house where the patient can rest safely, the medicines are never confused, a fever is caught early, and the emergency plan does not depend on anybody's memory.
The emergency sheet goes up first
Fever threshold, both hospital numbers, the night-time hospital, who drives, and the warning signs. On the fridge, in large writing, before anything else.
Fix the route to the bathroom
Clear, lit and short. Most falls during treatment happen on the way to the toilet at night, and a night light and a cleared floor prevent most of them.
Decide the rota before the first cycle
Who owns medicines, appointments, money, cooking and the night-time emergency, each with a named deputy. Written down, not assumed.
Nothing here requires buying special equipment. Ask your team before spending money on anything marketed to cancer patients.The spaces
What to set up, room by room
- The resting space
- A bed or a comfortable chair near the bathroom, with good ventilation, daylight, a water bottle within reach and a bin. Not necessarily a separate room; a clean, uncluttered corner works.
- The bathroom
- Dry floor, a mat that does not slip, a rail or a stool if the patient is unsteady, and the patient's own towel and soap. A night light on the route there.
- The medicine place
- One shelf or box, out of children's reach, away from heat and damp, with the medicine chart beside it. Never medicines spread across three rooms and two handbags.
- The kitchen
- Stocked for the hard days with soft, plain food, clean drinking water arranged, and separate chopping boards for raw and cooked food. Leftovers covered and refrigerated promptly.
- The fridge door
- The emergency sheet, the cycle calendar, the rota and the medicine chart. The place everybody in the house passes several times a day.
- The door
- The go-bag, packed and left there between cycles: treatment summary, medicine list, readings notebook, charger, water and money.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistPractical
An afternoon's work before cycle one
In this order. The first two matter most.
Write and post the emergency sheet
Ask your team for the fever threshold and write it at the top. Both hospital numbers, the night-time hospital, who drives, and the warning signs that mean going in.
Also buy
- A digital thermometer and a spare
- Spare batteries for both
Make the house fall-safe
Night light on the bathroom route, loose mats removed or taped, cables and clutter off the floor, closed footwear instead of loose slippers. Ten minutes that prevents the commonest injury.
Organise the medicines
One box, a written chart of what is taken when, and a tick sheet. Throw away expired or unused old medicines so they cannot be confused with the new ones.
Keep separate
- Chemotherapy tablets from everything else
- The patient's medicines from the family's
Stock the kitchen for the hard days
Rice, dal, curd, ragi, bread, bananas, biscuits, oral rehydration sachets and whatever the patient tolerated before. Nobody wants to shop on the second day after treatment.
Hold the household meeting
Everybody who will help, with the treatment schedule. Name who owns each job and who deputises, write it down, and put it on the fridge with the emergency sheet.
!
Copy this onto the emergency sheet on the fridge
Go to the nearest emergency department at once, saying the person is on chemotherapy, for: a temperature at or above your team's threshold · shivering uncontrollably · breathlessness or chest pain · confusion or being hard to rouse · bleeding that will not stop · no urine since the morning · nothing staying down · severe stomach pain · redness, pain or discharge around a port or line · a fall with a head injury. Do not give paracetamol to bring a temperature down first, and do not wait for morning.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your own treatment specifically requires. Some regimens come with particular precautions about bodily fluids, some oral chemotherapy has handling instructions, and some patients need equipment at home. Ask your team what applies to you before cycle one.
It also cannot tell you what your house needs if the patient is elderly, frail, unsteady or recovering from surgery. In those situations ask for a physiotherapist or nurse to advise on rails, commodes and bed arrangements.
A sterile house is not the goal
Families sometimes keep children away, stop cooking, fumigate rooms or banish pets on the patient's behalf. Most of that is unnecessary. Hand washing, clean food and keeping ill visitors away do the real work.
Be wary of products sold for this
Air purifiers, water ionisers, special mattresses and alkaline filters are marketed hard to families of cancer patients. Ask your team before buying anything, because most of it is not needed.
Plan for the attendant's rest too
A place for the main attendant to sleep properly, and a named deputy for nights, belongs in the house plan as much as the patient's bed does.
What to do next
Write and post the emergency sheet today, with the fever threshold from your team. Buy two thermometers. Light the bathroom route and clear the floor. Put all the medicines into one box with a chart. Stock the kitchen, pack the go-bag, and hold the household meeting.
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Commonly believed
Four things families do unnecessarily
"The whole house needs to be made sterile."
It does not, and trying to is exhausting. Hand washing, clean food, keeping ill visitors away and catching a fever early do the real work. A clean, ordinary home is what the patient needs.
"We need to buy special equipment before starting."
Most patients need a thermometer, a night light and an organised medicine box. Ask your team before buying purifiers, special beds or water systems marketed to cancer families.
"The children should be kept away from her."
Children with an infection should be kept apart, and contact with chickenpox or measles reported. Healthy children with washed hands are part of what keeps a patient going.
"We can sort the house out as we go."
The moment you need the emergency sheet, the medicine chart or a clear route to the bathroom is the moment nobody can arrange them. One afternoon before cycle one is worth far more.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about preparing the home
Does the patient need a separate room?
Not necessarily. A clean, ventilated, uncluttered space near the bathroom is what matters. A separate room helps on low-count days if the house is crowded, but it is not required.
Do we need to buy special equipment?
Usually just a digital thermometer and a spare, a night light, and a medicine box. Ask your team before buying anything else, especially products marketed to cancer families.
What should be on the fridge?
The emergency sheet with the fever threshold and both hospital numbers, the cycle calendar, the household rota and the medicine chart. Everybody passes it several times a day.
Can we keep our pets?
Usually yes. Somebody else should clean up after them, the patient should wash hands after contact, and scratches or bites should be reported. Ask your team about your particular animal.
How do we prevent falls?
A night light on the bathroom route, loose mats removed or taped, cables and clutter off the floor, a dry bathroom floor and closed footwear. A rail or stool helps if the patient is unsteady.
Where should medicines be kept?
In one box, away from heat, damp and children, with a written chart beside it. Keep chemotherapy tablets separate from everything else, and throw away old or expired medicines.
Is there anything special about toilets and laundry?
Some treatments come with precautions for a short time after each dose. Ask your team what applies to your regimen, and follow their instructions rather than a general rule.
What food should we stock?
Soft, plain food the patient tolerates: rice, dal, curd, ragi, bread, bananas, biscuits, and oral rehydration sachets. Stock it before treatment day so nobody shops on the hard days.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
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Sources
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Looking after someone with cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Chemotherapy and infection risk
- National Cancer Institute — Chemotherapy and You: Support for People With Cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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