Summary: A Portrait Of Successful Aging
A Portrait of Successful Aging
If caring for patients with chronic health issues has always been a challenge for nursing, it would be much more challenging when one deals with patients who are diagnosed with cancer. As an oncology nurse, most of my patients are older adults who are not only burdened by old age, but also weighed down by the feelings of human fragility, e.g., hopelessness, loneliness, and fear of the impending death brought about by the diagnosis of cancer. Through the many years I cared for cancer patients, I have learned to accept each patient at face value – I have become more forgiving of the emotional flare-ups that other nurses would label as “negatives” in patients. Thus, when a patient presents with the positive life
If caring for patients with chronic health issues has always been a challenge for nursing, it would be much more challenging when one deals with patients who are diagnosed with cancer. As an oncology nurse, most of my patients are older adults who are not only burdened by old age, but also weighed down by the feelings of human fragility, e.g., hopelessness, loneliness, and fear of the impending death brought about by the diagnosis of cancer. Through the many years I cared for cancer patients, I have learned to accept each patient at face value – I have become more forgiving of the emotional flare-ups that other nurses would label as “negatives” in patients. Thus, when a patient presents with the positive life