ONS Connect - November 2008 - (Page 15)

How Did You Begin Studying Caregivers of Patients With Cancer? Norissa Honea, MSN, RN, AOCN®, CCRP [OnE nursE’s PErsPEctivE] Caregivers of Patients With Brain Tumors Face Special Challenges Norissa Honea, MSN, RN, AOCN ®, CCRP, is an oncology clinical research nurse coordinator for Arizona Oncology Services Foundation in Phoenix, AZ, and a doctoral candidate at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. s a novice nurse, I needed to hone my skills and increase my competence and self-confidence to practice nursing. With time, I developed my expertise. Because of this, I am in awe of family members of people with cancer who are thrust into caregiving out of need, not choice. Caregivers are expected to assume skills and attain knowledge that took me months or years to learn as a nurse. Caregivers experience difficulty juggling priorities so they can take care of their loved ones. Unfortunately, their own physical or mental health may suffer as a result of prioritizing their own needs after those of others. Although the burden or strain of caregiving may not always be measured with an instrument, it can be recognized and support can be provided. A Through my practice, I have had the opportunity to witness behaviors and hear caregivers’ stories first hand. When I enrolled in doctoral studies, I knew my research interest was family caregivers of patients with brain tumors. These caregivers must deal not only with a loved one having cancer but also patients’ neurologic issues, such as impaired function, speech, memory, or behavior. With so much attention focused on helping patients through treatments and follow-up, caregivers are left to navigate the healthcare system, insurance, and myriad life changes. Some caregivers manage to adapt to their circumstances, take care of themselves, and avoid illness, whereas others do not and become ill. I am interested in discovering what influences caregivers to take care of themselves or seek help. What is it that helps or hinders them in meeting their own healthcare needs? My doctoral research findings will be used to generate a theory explaining caregivers’ behaviors, from which I plan to design and test interventions to improve caregivers’ self-care behaviors and ultimately their health outcomes. ✱ November 2008 ONS CONNECT 15

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ONS Connect - November 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Lean on Me You Tell Us A Year in the Life-- Month Eleven Put Evidence Into Practice to Manage Caregiver Strain and Burden Web Connect Capitol Connection Caregiver Care New Technique Monitors Patients with NSCLC Calendar of Events Working for You Staying on Top

ONS Connect - November 2008

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