Shifting the Paradigm: Promoting Wellness for Cancer Caregivers

The role of caring for a cancer patient is often overwhelming for caregivers. The effects of caregiving can be tumultuous and detrimental to a caregiver\u27s health. The current paradigm in healthcare is to primarily focus on patients and their needs while not giving attention to the needs of cancer caregivers. There is little to no time spent on educating caregivers on the importance of self-care. A pilot project to educate caregivers on self-care tips has been developed. This pilot project used the distress tool developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the Distress Thermometer (2016) to assess the level of distress in cancer caregivers in an outpatient hematology setting. Success will be evaluated by doing a pre-intervention questionnaire and post-intervention questionnaire and comparing levels of stated distress. Nursing as a whole focuses solely on the patient, but a shift in the paradigm should occur to include caregivers. This project helps nursing as a profession to shift the paradigm to meet the needs of the patients and their families