Cynthia W Moore, Michele Pengelly, and Paula K Rauch
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199238361
- eISBN:
- 9780191730290
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199238361.003.0048
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine Research
When a parent with dependent children is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, it is common for a significant part of their distress to be associated with worries about their children. While ...
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When a parent with dependent children is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, it is common for a significant part of their distress to be associated with worries about their children. While there are not yet data to support a particular approach, it is important to highlight lessons learned from existing initiatives. This chapter draws on the clinical experience from two different programmes: one an innovative programme spearheaded by nurses at a regional oncology centre in South Wales, and the other a parent-guidance programme offered by child psychologists and child psychiatrists at a major academic cancer centre in Boston, Massachusetts. In the Welsh programme, parents have an opportunity to spend quality time with their children, while facilitating play as a means of helping children express anxieties. At the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center PACT (Parenting at a Challenging Time) programme, child psychiatrists and psychologists provide free guidance to parents with cancer about communication and children's coping.Less
When a parent with dependent children is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, it is common for a significant part of their distress to be associated with worries about their children. While there are not yet data to support a particular approach, it is important to highlight lessons learned from existing initiatives. This chapter draws on the clinical experience from two different programmes: one an innovative programme spearheaded by nurses at a regional oncology centre in South Wales, and the other a parent-guidance programme offered by child psychologists and child psychiatrists at a major academic cancer centre in Boston, Massachusetts. In the Welsh programme, parents have an opportunity to spend quality time with their children, while facilitating play as a means of helping children express anxieties. At the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center PACT (Parenting at a Challenging Time) programme, child psychiatrists and psychologists provide free guidance to parents with cancer about communication and children's coping.
