Pancreatic Cancer Case Study

In 2016, my grandmother was diagnosis with pancreatic cancer. This is news that no family member would like to hear. I first heard about my grandmother’s diagnosis a day before presenting to my class on the same disease. It was very emotional for me to present on the topic of pancreatic cancer knowing that my grandmother also has the disease. It is necessary for friends, associates, family members, and healthcare practitioners to identify the five level of needs in an individual situation to become an effective helper in communication. It is important to understand an individual’s level of need (problem, predicament, crisis, panic attacks, shock) as this will aid in communication and resolving one’s need. My level of need in this situation …show more content…
“In the Caribbean culture the primary caregiver is a relative or a member of the “extended family.” These are people who the client looks to for trust and support” (Tamparo, 2007). For example, it is hard to communicate with my grandmother about her condition because she does not consider me as the one whom she can look for trust and support. This is a problem for me because I care deeply for my grandmother, but if she is not receptive or trust me or believe that I will support her through her treatment then there is nothing I can do but to encourage her and continue to show her that I care. She would rather look for trust and support from her children and friends who are closer to her. When I converse on the phone with her I can tell that she is not interesting in talking or hearing what I have to say because I can hear the annoyance in her voice.
With pancreatic cancer she experiences a lot of pain from her abdomen to her back. She is constantly self- medicating to alleviate the pain. After she takes her medication she has a burst of energy and talks to me, but as soon as the medication wears off she responds differently. Also, when the medication subsides it causes profound negative effects on the psychosocial aspect of her life. Due to her condition, it is very difficult to communicate with her because she gets very irritated, stressed, …show more content…
In this situation, I will apply the five C’s of communication (complete, clear, concise, cohesive, and courteous) whenever I am talking with my grandmother via phone or in-person. With the use of cognitive-behavior therapy it will provide positive “self-talk” that will alter her negative internal thoughts. In addition, this will allow her to better communicate her feelings to others. The person-environment occupational performance model will help me to communicate with her better because it will provide short-term and long-term goals for performance in daily life tasks and roles and intrinsic factors that are inhibiting her occupational performance. I believe this will definitely increase her motivation to communicate with me. Family therapy would be beneficial as well, but knowing my grandmother, she is a private person and therefore may decline to family