June 14, 2005—Facing, Accepting and Yielding

2021 ◽  
pp. 191-202
Author(s):  
Richard P. McQuellon
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Nasal Cannula ◽  
Living Room ◽  
Front Door ◽  
Thich Nhat Hanh

Nell greets me at the door tonight. She is thin, fading. Therese Schroeder-Sheker has described cancer patients as “disappearing slowly.” Nell’s humor is reserved tonight and her movements are slow and deliberate. She walks cautiously from the front door to the living room, nasal cannula in place, oxygen tube trailing. She offers me a Coke. I follow her to her room holding the oxygen tube and our drinks. We discuss the works of Thich Nhat Hanh and the concept of mindfulness. Nell refers to After the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfield. She notes that for her, after facing death, there are the tasks of daily living such as “getting this damn TV working!” Nell is a brave woman and grateful for the kind people in her life. She believes that kindness will come to her aid as she moves through to the end. She has expressed gratitude since our very first meeting.

scholarly journals A Modular Mobile Robotic Platform to Assist People with Different Degrees of Disability

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 7130
Author(s):  
Jose M. Catalan ◽  
Andrea Blanco ◽  
Arturo Bertomeu-Motos ◽  
Jose V. Garcia-Perez ◽  
Miguel Almonacid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Living Room ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Robotic Platform ◽  
Robotic Exoskeleton ◽  
Simulated Home Environment ◽  
Wheel Chair ◽  
The Subject

Robotics to support elderly people in living independently and to assist disabled people in carrying out the activities of daily living independently have demonstrated good results. Basically, there are two approaches: one of them is based on mobile robot assistants, such as Care-O-bot, PR2, and Tiago, among others; the other one is the use of an external robotic arm or a robotic exoskeleton fixed or mounted on a wheelchair. In this paper, a modular mobile robotic platform to assist moderately and severely impaired people based on an upper limb robotic exoskeleton mounted on a robotized wheel chair is presented. This mobile robotic platform can be customized for each user’s needs by exploiting its modularity. Finally, experimental results in a simulated home environment with a living room and a kitchen area, in order to simulate the interaction of the user with different elements of a home, are presented. In this experiment, a subject suffering from multiple sclerosis performed different activities of daily living (ADLs) using the platform in front of a group of clinicians composed of nurses, doctors, and occupational therapists. After that, the subject and the clinicians replied to a usability questionnaire. The results were quite good, but two key factors arose that need to be improved: the complexity and the cumbersome aspect of the platform.

scholarly journals Endoprosthetic Reconstruction for a Displaced Atypical Femoral Fracture in a Cancer Patient with Poor Prognosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Hironari Tamiya ◽  
Hiroki Hagizawa ◽  
Takaaki Nakai ◽  
Yoshinori Imura ◽  
Takaaki Tanaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patient ◽  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Femoral Fracture ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Poor Prognosis ◽  
Femoral Fractures ◽  
Endoprosthetic Reconstruction ◽  
Atypical Femoral Fractures ◽  
Patients With Poor Prognosis

Zoledronate or denosumab treatment is beneficial for cancer patients with bone metastasis. However, each agent may trigger atypical femoral fractures. Incomplete atypical femoral fractures can be successfully treated with prophylactic intramedullary nailing. On the other hand, intramedullary nailing for displaced atypical femoral fractures occasionally causes problems with regard to bone healing, resulting in long-term treatment. In cancer patients with poor prognosis who experience atypical femoral fractures, improvement in activities of daily living should be the priority. Thus, we performed endoprosthetic reconstruction for a displaced atypical femoral fracture in a breast cancer patient with poor prognosis to enable walking in the early stage after the operation. Two weeks after the operation, she could successfully walk. The postoperative Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score was 47%, and it had improved to almost the preoperative level before injury (50%). In conclusion, endoprosthetic reconstruction for displaced atypical femoral fractures may be a first-line treatment approach to acquire early postoperative walking ability for improving activities of daily living in cancer patients with poor prognosis.

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Adds Information to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status in Elderly Cancer Patients: An Italian Group for Geriatric Oncology Study

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 494-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lazzaro Repetto ◽  
Lucia Fratino ◽  
Riccardo A. Audisio ◽  
Antonella Venturino ◽  
Walter Gianni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Geriatric Assessment ◽  
Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ◽  
Geriatric Oncology ◽  
Oncology Group ◽  
Elderly Cancer Patients

PURPOSE: To appraise the performance of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) in elderly cancer patients (≥ 65 years) and to evaluate whether it could add further information with respect to the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 363 elderly cancer patients (195 males, 168 females; median age, 72 years) with solid (n = 271) or hematologic (n = 92) tumors. In addition to PS, their physical function was assessed by means of the activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scales. Comorbidities were categorized according to Satariano’s index. The association between PS, comorbidity, and the items of the CGA was assessed by means of logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: These 363 elderly cancer patients had a good functional and mental status: 74% had a good PS (ie, lower than 2), 86% were ADL-independent, and 52% were IADL-independent. Forty-one percent of patients had one or more comorbid conditions. Of the patients with a good PS, 13.0% had two or more comorbidities; 9.3% and 37.7% had ADL or IADL limitations, respectively. By multivariate analysis, elderly cancer patients who were ADL-dependent or IADL-dependent had a nearly two-fold higher probability of having an elevated Satariano’s index than independent patients. A strong association emerged between PS and CGA, with a nearly five-fold increased probability of having a poor PS (ie, ≥ 2) recorded in patients dependent for ADL or IADL. CONCLUSION: The CGA adds substantial information on the functional assessment of elderly cancer patients, including patients with a good PS. The role of PS as unique marker of functional status needs to be reappraised among elderly cancer patients.

Multidimensional geriatric evaluation in elderly cancer patients and its relationship with age

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 19651-19651
Author(s):  
M. Molina-Garrido ◽  
C. Guillén-Ponce ◽  
A. Carrato
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Geriatric Assessment ◽  
Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Medication Intake ◽  
Oncologic Patients

19651 Background: Age is the major risk factor for the majority of patients with cancer. More than 50% of cancers occurs after the age of 60. Older patients are not simply old, but are geriatric patients because of interacting psychosocial and physical problems. As a consequence, the health status of old persons cannot be evaluated by merely describing the single disease or the group of age. We tested the performance of a new Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and its relationship with groups of age in cancer patients. Methods: Between June 2006 and December 2006, a total of 64 oncologic patients older than 75 years were approached to enrol in our study to analyze their functional, physical, mental, pharmacotherapeutic and socio-economic status and to correlate them to some groups of age: youngest-old (75 to 80 years-old), old-old (80 and 85 years-old) and oldest-old (older than 85 years). They were analysed Activities of Daily Living (ADL) measured by Barthel Scale, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) measured by Lawton-Brody Scale, Grade of Fragility measured by Barber Scale, cognitive evaluation measured by Pfeiffer Test, and medication intake. A Chi Squared test was used for statistical analysis; p-value <0,05 was considered significative. Results: Sixty-four oncologic patients age > or = 75 years were recruited. Median age was 80.24 years (range 73.88 to 86.94). 51.6% female. Breast cancer was the most frequent diagnosis (30.2%), followed by lung cancer (19%). 29 patients (45.3%) were aged between 75 and 80 years old; 27 patients (43.5%) were between 80 and 85 years- old. There were statistic significative association between groups of age and Pfeiffer Test (p=0.037), Barber Scale (p=0.031) and medication intake (p=0.021). However, there was not a significative relationship between groups of age and Barthel Scale (p=0.052), Lawton-Brody Scale (p=0.2425), Cruz-Roja Scale (p=0,1485) or number of geriatric syndromes (p=0.129). Conclusions: This abstract reviews the findings regarding the correlation between a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and groups of age in older patients with cancer. Age per se must not be the only criterion for medical decision as it is not correlated to the health status of older cancer patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Identifying cancer patients’ care needs after discharge hospital using health claim data linked with Hospital-based Cancer Registry data in Japan.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18012-e18012
Author(s):  
Ayako Okuyama ◽  
Yukie Takemura ◽  
Takahiro Higashi
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Cancer Registry ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Continuous Treatment ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Discharge Data ◽  
Control Plan

e18012 Background: In 2018, the 3rd Cancer Control Plan developed in Japan. This plan recommends that we should create a better society for cancer patients to keep living at their homes after leaving hospital. In order to grasp the continuous health care needs, we investigated independence degree of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) at the time of discharge for cancer patients by hospital types. Methods: We analyzed the health insurance claims database linked with the hospital-based cancer registry of 230 cancer care hospitals covered the period from October 2012 to December 2014. Data were abstracted from patients who 1) were diagnosed with breast, lung, liver, colorectal, stomach, pancreas, or prostate cancer in 2013; 2) were 20 years or older at the time of the diagnosis; and 3) received the first course or continuous treatment at the hospital. Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare designates cancer care hospitals (DCCHs) to provide a high quality of cancer care. In each prefecture, one hospital is designated as Type 1 DCCH, and it has the role of supporting other DCCHs in that prefecture. Remaining DCCHs are Type 2 DCCHs. Hospitals which are not designated as DCCHs are categorized into other hospitals. We assessed the differences of patient’ ADL status by these hospital types. Results: We extracted 37,523 patients’ discharge data (8,271 from Type 1 DCCHs, 28,200 from Type 2 DCCHs, and 1,052 from other hospitals). The mean age (SD) at the time of diagnosis was 65.6 (11.7) at Type 1 DCCHs, 69.1 (11.0) at Type 2 DCCHs, and 70.0 (12.3) at other hospitals. The percentage of clinical stage IV in other hospitals (25.3%) was slightly higher than others (22.5%). In total, 16.2% of patients need all assistance for bathing, while only 3.5% of patients need all assistance for eating. More patients at other hospitals were need assistance for ADL compared to patients at DCCHs. For example, 10.6% of patients need all assistance for bathing in type 1 DCCHs, while 25.2% of patients need it in other hospitals. Conclusions: Many patients discharged in not DCCHs need more assistance for their daily living. We should take these situation into account when we provide appropriate support for cancer patients.

Comprehensive Assessment of the Elderly Cancer Patient: The Feasibility of Self-Report Methodology

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 770-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally S. Ingram ◽  
Pearl H. Seo ◽  
Robert E. Martell ◽  
Elizabeth C. Clipp ◽  
Martha E. Doyle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Younger Patients

PURPOSE: Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has aided the medical community greatly in understanding the quality-of-life issues and functional needs of older patients. With its professional team assessment approach, however, CGA may be time consuming and costly. The goal of the present study was to assess the ability of cancer patients to complete a self-administered CGA and then to characterize cancer patients across multiple domains and age groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred sixty-six male outpatient oncology patients at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center were asked to fill out a survey assessing 10 domains (demographics, comorbid conditions, activities of daily living, functional status, pain, financial well being, social support, emotional state, spiritual well-being, and quality of life). RESULTS: Seventy-six percent of the patients who received their surveys and kept their appointments returned the assessment tool. Older oncology patients had significantly less education (P < .0001), income (P = .05), frequent exercise (P = .01), and chance of being disease free (P = .003) than younger patients. Other findings in older patients were a higher rate of marriage (P = .02), more difficulty in taking medications (P = .05), and less cigarette (P = .03) and alcohol (P = .03) use. Members of all age cohorts reported a sense of social support, with younger patients deriving this more from family and friends than older patients, and older patients deriving social support more from membership in religious communities than younger patients. No differences were found across age groups for number and impact of comorbid illnesses, number of medications, basic and instrumental activities of daily living, pain, overall health rating, financial adequacy, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. CONCLUSION: CGA can be conducted in an outpatient cancer community using a self-report format. Despite the fact that this population varied demographically across age groups and is limited to veterans, this study demonstrated remarkable similarities between younger and older cancer patients in terms of functional status, health states, and quality of life.

Effect of distress on total toxicity burden and activities of daily living among 382 advanced stage cancer patients: A URCC CCOP research base study.

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e20641-e20641
Author(s):  
Marie Anne Flannery ◽  
Charles Stewart Kamen ◽  
Michelle Christine Janelsins ◽  
Charles E. Heckler ◽  
Joseph A. Roscoe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Advanced Stage ◽  
Base Study ◽  
Advanced Stage Cancer
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