Some of the treatment regimes for HNC include surgery and radiotherapy. Whether they choose surgery or radiotherapy, during the duration of their treatment, the individual can experience function impairment, increasing pain, heightened level of stress and anxiety and depression. Depending on the type of treatment, surgery is commonly associated with appearance change, in turn triggers a negative impact on their quality of life. Patient’s who have undergone surgery have experienced stress, depression and difficulties accepting their body image, leading to a loss of self-esteem and social isolation. (Mário Rodrigues de Melo Filho, 2013)
Not only does cancer have an emotional impact on the individual, but family caregivers can have an emotional
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According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Indigenous Australians are 10% more likely to get cancer and are 1.4 times more likely to die from it. () A study by Suzanne P Moore (2011), investigated the survival rates and incidence of HNC among indigenous and non—indigenous people in Queensland, Australia from 1998 to 2004 and established that Indigenous people had a greater prevalence of HNC due to poor nutrition, lack of cultural suitability of health services, absence of specialist care, transport, shortage of health services, health insurance and health services affordability, as well as poor proficiency in English. (Suzanne P Moore, 2011) They had lower screening participation, late diagnoses of cancer, lack of continuity of care and poor compliance with treatment; all of these factors contributing to a poor outcome for cancer. Studies found that indigenous people avoided health care systems because they were scared of death, shame, preferred traditional healing over conventional due to the misplaced trust in doctors and western medicines when death and reoccurrence of cancer lead to disappointments, and had beliefs such that cancer is contagious where family and friends distanced themselves in fear of catching the …show more content…
They have grown up with defined meanings and awareness about different illness and this controls their perception and the communities’ perception of illness and the types of treatments that are beneficial to them. This then influences their behaviors when it comes to cancer prevention and control of the disease. (Dahar M, 2012; Majorie Kagawa-Singer, 2010)Varied among different countries in the world, there are cancer related stigma and myths about cancer that presents significant challenges to the individual and others, as it produces a silencing effect, where those with cancer are afraid to seek treatment because myths like “cancer is contagious” is embarrassing and are often shamed upon on. Some cultures avoided surgery because they believed that “if you cut into the tumor, the tumor would spread to the body” and hence pursued alternative treatments. (Dahar M,
Being diagnosed with a chronic illness is a life-altering event. During this time, life is not only difficult for the patient, but also for their loved ones. Families must learn to cope together and to work out the best options for the patient and the rest of the family. Although it may not be fair at times, things may need to be centered on or around the patient no matter what the circumstance. (Abbott, 2003) Sacrifices may have to be made during difficult times. Many factors are involved when dealing with chronic illnesses. Coping with chronic illnesses alter many different emotions for the patients and the loved ones. Many changes occur that are very different and difficult to get used to. (Abbott, 2003) It is not easy for someone to sympathize with you when they haven’t been in the situation themselves. No matter how many books they read or people they talk to, they cannot come close to understanding.
Cancer is a deadly disease that millions of people die from a year. Many loved ones are killed with little to no warning affecting families across our world. My family happened to be one that was affected by this atrocious disease. This event changed the way my family members and I viewed cancer.
According to Australian indigenous website, healthinfoNet, in 2010-2012 life expectancy of indigenous people were 69 years which is 11 years less than the 80 years expected for the non- indigenous men and women. Moreover, the life expectancy for native women was 73 years, during 2010-2012, which is 9.5 years less than the expectation of 83 years for non-Indigenous women. The reason for decreased health can be due to deficiencies in water supply, sanitation and lack of proper medical services.
Irish playwright, George Bernard, once said that “Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Can someone truly “create themselves” when his or her life’s quality and longevity are in jeopardy? It is very sad to think about children who have been diagnosed with cancer and that if they lose their battle, may never get to live a full, healthy life like their peers. According to the Childhood Cancer Foundation, a staggering 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year; for 25% of them, the disease will be fatal. An estimated 13,500 children and adolescents younger than 20 years of age are diagnosed annually with some form of cancer in the United States alone. Those who do make it through their adolescent years have a greater risk of developing chronic health problems or secondary cancers in their later years. It goes without saying that the disease creates much hardship, pain and suffering. That being so, support for families and patients going through this hardship is very critical. There are many organizations that strive to be that backbone for these families. The Make a Wish Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House for example believe that, if a child is exposed to positive experiences and atmospheres, it will have an overall positive effect on his or her health and wellbeing. These support groups provide great opportunities for struggling families, but ultimately that can only go so far. Cancer not only compromises the patient’s physical health, but also affects the social, mental, economic, and emotional well-being of their entire family.
Aboriginal health is majorly determined by several social factors that are related to their cultural beliefs. Health professionals regularly find it difficult to provide health care to aboriginal people due to the cultural disparity that exists between the conventional and aboriginal cultures, predominantly with regard to systems of health belief (Carson, Dunbar, & Chenhall, 2007). The discrepancy between the aboriginal culture and typical Western customs seems to amplify the difficulties experienced in every cross-cultural setting of health service delivery (Selin & Shapiro, 2003). Most of the social determinants of the aboriginal health are due to their strict belief in superstition and divine intervention.
Ever since the foundations of modern Australia were laid; there has been a disparity between the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and rest of the Australian community (Australian human rights commission, n.d.). This essay will discuss how this gap can be traced back to the discriminatory policies enacted by governments towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s throughout history. Their existing impacts will be examined by considering the social determinants of health. These are the contemporary psycho-social factors which indirectly influence health (Kingsley, Aldous, Townsend, Phillips & Henderson-Wilson, 2009). It will be evaluated how the historic maltreatment of Aboriginal people leads to their existing predicament concerning health.
Isn’t it overwhelming to consider the fact that approximately one in eight deaths in the world are due to cancer? To make this more comprehensible, the number of deaths caused by cancer is greater than caused by AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Along with the idea that this disease does not have a definite cure is a mind-staggering concept to grasp. If not caught in time, cancer means guaranteed death. These types of thoughts were floating around my head when my mother had told me that my father had mouth cancer.
There are over 13.7 million cancer survivors in the US today, and over 1.5 million people will be newly diagnosed this year. Over the last several years that has been substantial progress in cancer treatments resulting in increased life expectancy. While certainly desirable, the dynamic has changed to more people are now living with cancer as a chronic illness. All of these individuals face a series of complex decisions related to their care that include screenings, treatment choices, and the financial challenges of cancer care. Yet less than one third of all people facing cancer receive appropriate counseling and support. A 2008 Institute of Medicine (US) Committee noted that: “The remarkable advances in biomedical care for cancer have not been matched by achievements in providing high-quality care for the psychological and social effects of cancer. Numerous cancer survivors and their caregivers report that cancer care providers did not understand their psychosocial needs, failed to recognize and adequately address depression and other symptoms of stress, were unaware of or did not refer them to available resources, and generally did not consider psychosocial support to be an integral part of quality cancer care.” (Institute of Medicine 2008)
Lastly, illustrating the intersection between Indigeneity, gender and HCV, the I-Track Phase 3 study found that the prevalence of HCV in the Indigenous female population (44.5%) was almost double that of the non-Indigenous female population (24.7%) [16]. Combined, these studies suggest the presence of numerous barriers along the continuum of HCV prevention, care and support services for Indigenous peoples. Moreover, these findings demonstrate the urgent need for a better understanding of Indigenous peoples’ experiences within the HCV care cascade in order to inform the development of more culturally appropriate and Indigenous-specific HCV
Before the mid 1990’s cancer incidence was a rare occurrence among Alaskan Native (AN) people however rates have increased drastically and is now the leading cause of death. (Kelly, Lanier, Schade, Brantley & Starkey, 2014). Alaskan Native people include indigenous Eskimo, Indian and Aleut. Some of the most leading cancers affecting AN people include: lung, colorectal, prostate and breast. Kelly et al., 2014, found that during the last 40 years lung cancer and breast cancer incidence in this population increase by 200% and colorectal cancer increased by 35%. Lung cancer is an important health issue in American Indians/ Alaska Natives (AI/AN) due to higher prevalence of daily cigarette use and efforts to reduce tobacco use lag behind other
Department of Health South Australia. (2004). Cultural Respect Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council. Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Working Party
The colonisation of Australia occurred throughout 1788-1990. During this time, Great Britain discovered Australia and decided that it would become a new British colony (“Australian History: Colonisation 17-88-1990”, 2014.). It was decided that convicts would be sent to Australia and used for labour to build the new colony. There are many health determinants that are effecting the health of Indigenous Australians including; poor living conditions, risk behaviours and low socioeconomic status. Many of these determinants have an effect on the Indigenous Australians due to the colonisation of Australia.
Physical symptoms of cancer and the treatment can have serious social and emotional consequences for the diagnosed child....
Moral support from family members is extremely crucial and benefits the patient in every possible way. The family would want to reveal the truth in order to proceed to treatment before the cancer spreads to other regions of the body. Additionally, if children are present the family would want to begin treatment so that their loved one can be there for their children in the future. However, if the cancer is untreatable, the family members can accommodate so that the patient can live the remainder of their time comfortably and grant his or her wishes. When the circumstances deem the loved one is incompetent and cannot make their own decisions, family members can choose to come to the most appropriate
The Theory of Caregiver Stress was a significant breakthrough for the reasoning of why caregivers are so deeply affected by this job. “The Theory of Caregiver Stress was derived from the Roy Adaptation Model to use as basis in understanding the relationships among caregivers and the stress faced when caring for a chronically ill relative” (Tsai, 2003). The Theory of Caregiver stress is a middle-range theory used to predict the outcome for stress and other various side effects (Dobratz, 2011). These adverse effects are predicted by: Demographic Characteristics, Burden in Caregiving, Stressful life events, Social Support and Social Roles. Also, because of the multitude of different scenarios and background for both the patient and the caregiver, these categories are necessary to compare and effectively use the results. The theory makes four main assumptions regarding adaption: “environmental change; the caregivers’ perceptions will determine how they will respond to the environmental stimuli; the caregivers’ adaptation is a function of their environmental stimuli and adaptation level, and lastly the caregivers’ effectors are results of chronic caregiving such examples include marital satisfaction and self-...