Chronic Illness Case Paper

When a patient becomes sick, it can be life changing. Sometimes, specific diseases or illnesses will affect every part of life. Some patients may need to quit their job, lose their independence, and rely heavily on family members for support and care. If this is the case, the nurse not only has to care for his or her patient, but also may have to care for the patient’s family as well. Family members play a vital role during the care of a sick patient. The nurse must recognize how the family members influence the patient’s illness. This paper will discuss the impact of a chronic illness like cancer on family members and include a personal experience to relate to this topic.

Last semester, our clinical unit consisted of oncology patients. Majority of these patients were very sick

The nurse must care for the patient holistically, meeting their physical, emotional and mental needs, but must also support the family member or caregiver as well. The nurse must assess the family member and provide proper education and support to help them cope with their loved one’s illness. The family member can experience many emotions during a tragic time for their loved ones. Similar to Mr. R’s case, it is common that loved one’s experience denial when the patient is suffering a mortal illness. The family member may encourage the patient to continue seeking care and treatment even though no chance for a cure. Elizabeth Kübler Ross describes “denial” as the first stage in grief. She presents us the idea that “Some people can become locked in this stage when dealing with a traumatic change that can be ignored. Death of course is not particularly easy to avoid or evade indefinitely (Chapman, 2006).” Chronic illnesses can greatly impact the family members of the patient. The nurse must assess the family in order to deliver proper support and knowledge to help them transition through this life-altering