TY - JOUR
T1 - The role and supportive care needs of the partners and carers of women with breast cancer
AU - Girgis, Afaf
AU - Levesque, Janelle V.
AU - Smith, Allan Ben
AU - Durcinoska, Ivana
AU - Gerges, Martha
PY - 2017/3/1
Y1 - 2017/3/1
N2 - More than 15,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia in 2016. The shift towards delivering cancer care through ambulatory treatment centres means that partners, relatives, children, siblings and friends of women diagnosed with breast cancer are commonly required to provide much-needed care and support for these women post-treatment. The role of 'carer' can take many different forms and for some, it can be equivalent to a full-time job, with many carers reporting having more things to do than they can handle. Being a carer can be a positive experience, for example some husbands of breast cancer patients undergoing active treatment reported both interpersonal and intrapersonal benefits of caring, such as feeling closer to their partner and growing as a person. However, there is ample evidence that taking on the role of carer has significant impacts on carers' physical and mental health and many carers feel illprepared for that role, especially if the care requires them to address complex medical needs while also supporting their loved one with the psychological challenges experienced following a cancer diagnosis. The inter-relationship between patients' and carers' wellbeing is well-documented, with evidence suggesting that carers' physical and mental wellbeing may influence patient status. Hence, offering informal carers interventions that are structured, goal-oriented and time-limited is recommended to support them in their roles, and many argue that family carers should be considered a 'co-user', or 'co-client' of cancer services.
AB - More than 15,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia in 2016. The shift towards delivering cancer care through ambulatory treatment centres means that partners, relatives, children, siblings and friends of women diagnosed with breast cancer are commonly required to provide much-needed care and support for these women post-treatment. The role of 'carer' can take many different forms and for some, it can be equivalent to a full-time job, with many carers reporting having more things to do than they can handle. Being a carer can be a positive experience, for example some husbands of breast cancer patients undergoing active treatment reported both interpersonal and intrapersonal benefits of caring, such as feeling closer to their partner and growing as a person. However, there is ample evidence that taking on the role of carer has significant impacts on carers' physical and mental health and many carers feel illprepared for that role, especially if the care requires them to address complex medical needs while also supporting their loved one with the psychological challenges experienced following a cancer diagnosis. The inter-relationship between patients' and carers' wellbeing is well-documented, with evidence suggesting that carers' physical and mental wellbeing may influence patient status. Hence, offering informal carers interventions that are structured, goal-oriented and time-limited is recommended to support them in their roles, and many argue that family carers should be considered a 'co-user', or 'co-client' of cancer services.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85025631759&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://cancerforum.org.au/forum/2017/march/the-role-and-supportive-care-needs-of-the-partners-and-carers-of-women-with-breast-cancer/
M3 - Review Article
AN - SCOPUS:85025631759
SN - 0311-306X
VL - 41
JO - Cancer Forum
JF - Cancer Forum
IS - 1
ER -
