Quality of life of family care givers of cancer patients’

Description

Page: 1489-1491

Thomas Kurian (Anchery) (Department of Psychology, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh)

Cancer is a harsh health problem with high mortality rate if not diagnosed and treated at its early phases. Cancer is not a personal experience; rather, it is associated with health process care givers. Researchers have recognized the anguish of family care-givers; however, little has been done to assess the broader influence of care giving on QOL. Cancer- how it understands/experienced is not restricted to the patient but affects the relation-caregivers. The imperative concern since family members took more of the burden of care as treatment prolongs to move into an out-patient status. The important matter is that, care of the sufferer with cancer should involve treatment of the family care-giving person has been more and more appreciated as vital. To provide emotional support for the ill-person and others is obvious to be among the more complicated task for the care-provider. The kin-caregiver may have a range of emotional issues together with feelings of vulnerability, anger and bewilderment that may persist for an extensive period of time. Family care-givers should also handle the financial burdens along with physical burden of care giving. Coping methods aimed to conquer the issues are classified into solution-focused and emotion-focused methods. The “Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire” (Italian) is a dependable and valid tool to assess care givers’ apparent challenge and resources. In accordance with literature, psychological assisting should be given to the patients and their care givers to utilize the coping techniques oriented at the source of the difficulty before the dysfunctional coping methods. In general, the care givers of cancer patients have an impaired QoL. Proper guidance and timely support to the care givers will improve their physical, psychological, social and moreover, the overall well being of the person.