Chronic Illness | Reflection

RUNNING HEAD: CHRONIC ILLNESS
CHRONIC ILLNESS
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CHRONIC ILLNESS1
Reflection on experiences with living and dying with cancer
Clark (2017) aimed to study ‘Care at the Very End-of-Life: Dying Cancer Patients
and Their Chosen Family’s Needs’. The healthcare practitioners caring for the terminally ill
cancer patients in their wards has found it increasingly difficult to care for the patients as the
day passes by. The researcher used a non-systematic method to review the qualitative studies
done on experiences of nurses caring for cancer patients and highlighted their perspectives.
While reflecting on the levels of care provided – the researcher focusses on the lives of
patient transcending the lives of the caregivers such as nurses who are in constant touch with
the patients. The behavioral symptoms aggravated in some nurse while they cared for the
dying and the behavioral planes transcended in others who considered the philosophical
learning that can only be derived from understanding what a person feel at the assured end
stages of life. Furthermore, the carers as in the family persons and friends, relatives who are
in constant fear of losing their loved one at point of time, makes them tentative and
behaviorally and emotionally unstable. The research elucidates the fact how persons who are
sure of the imminent death that awaits them close, has articulated their last wishes regarding
where they wanted to die. The place of death was a revealing notion, presented by the
researcher. Self-esteem, respect for privacy and route to death are the other psychosocial
aspects reflected on, by the researcher who felt that the dying patients wish generally for a
death within premises of his society.
Emilie Hudson (2017) studies caregiver’s experience in the article ‘All I can do is
help’. The caregiver’s experience caring for his wife with breast cancer is highlighted. The
male spouse caring for their wives spoke about their self-identity and the balance that existed
between this identity and the social identity. While the wives suffered from lack of self-
esteem, the husbands felt the needs of being more loving, more compassionate while caring
for their sick wives. Five open ended questions were used to understand the perspectives of