Palliative & supportive care
-
Palliat Support Care · Jun 2005
Spouse caregivers of terminally-ill cancer patients as cancer patients: a pilot study in a palliative care unit.
It is known that families of terminally-ill cancer patients show levels of emotional and functional disruption and are called "second order patients," however, little is actually known about the health problems of family members, especially in terms of cancer. ⋯ Our findings indicated that some of the spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients are not only "second order patients" but also "cancer patients." Our findings also suggest that some spouses of terminally-ill cancer patients might experience distress both as a cancer patient and as a spouse and may need care both as a cancer patient and as a spouse.
-
Palliat Support Care · Mar 2005
Sleep disturbances in palliative cancer patients attending a pain and symptom control clinic.
The nature of sleep disturbances in palliative cancer patients has not been delineated clearly or fully understood due to limited clinical information. The purpose of this study was to describe sleep disturbance patterns, treatments, and communication in an advanced cancer outpatient population attending a pain and symptom control clinic. ⋯ The results of this study underline the importance of routine clinical assessments to detect sleep problems and interventions designed specifically to improve the overall sleep quality of cancer patients.
-
Palliat Support Care · Mar 2005
Challenging the representations of cancer pain: experiences of a multidisciplinary pain management group in a palliative care unit.
This article describes how a Multidisciplinary Pain Management Group was set up in a palliative care unit, and outlines the ways that the group works with different patients. We place these comments in the context of the wider representations of pain. ⋯ Our observations suggest the need to allow sufficient time for intensive psychological work to be done with mesothelioma patients in order for pharmacological interventions to be effective.
-
Palliat Support Care · Mar 2005
Social aspects of caregiving for people living with motor neurone disease: their relationships to carer well-being.
To investigate social aspects of caregiving for people living with motor neurone disease (MND) and examine their relationships to carers' well-being. ⋯ Results indicate that prolonged caring for others living with MND has substantial costs for the carer in terms of loss of social support, which affects carer well-being and impacts ultimately on those living with MND. The CNS offers promise as a measure for screening at-risk carers; those who are distressed become candidates for professional intervention to help them cope better. Further research, providing validation of the scale for this task, is recommended.