Tackling Grief, Loss in Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer

Patients with life-limiting advanced lung cancer often experience intense grief and loss.

Research shows that the use of palliative care is associated with improved quality of life and lower costs of care for patients with cancer. But a 2015 Palliative Care Survey by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that although the majority of leading US cancer centres have inpatient palliative care services, most reported insufficient capacity to meet the demand, and that home-based palliative care services and inpatient units were much less common.

Associate Professor Andreas Charalambous the author of the research, emphasised the importance of enhancing the use and quality of palliative care services for patients with advanced lung cancer.

During the session, experts discussed an array of strategies geared towards relieving physical symptoms as well as psychological and spiritual stressors.  

Grief and loss are "natural and normal" reactions to advanced cancer. 

Patients experience feelings of loss around their independence, relationships, physical and cognitive functioning, which in turn impacts their sense of identity, daily routines, and plans for the future.

At Vitawell, we focus on providing patients palliative rehabilitation focused on maintaining at least a degree of their normal physical activity and target nutrition, which allows them to improve energy, weight gain, quality of life and joy.