METAPARADIGMS

No two (2) people with cancer are alike – just as no two (2) friends or family members are alike. Everyone has their own way of coping with cancer.

A cancer diagnosis affects not only the person, but also their family and friends. They may feel scared, uncertain, or angry about the unwanted changes cancer will bring to their life. They may feel numb or confused. Cancer patient may have trouble listening to, understanding, or remembering what people tells them during this time. This is especially true when a doctor first tells them that they have cancer. It’s not uncommon for people to shut down mentally once they hear the word “cancer.”

There’s nothing fair about cancer and no one deserves it. A cancer diagnosis is hard to take and having cancer is not easy. When they find out they have cancer, their personal beliefs and experiences help them figure out what it means to them and how they will handle it. As they face their own mortality and cope with the many demands of cancer, they may look more closely at their religious beliefs, their personal and family values, and what’s most important in their life. Accepting the diagnosis and figuring out what cancer will mean in their life is challenging.

These paradigms are not clearly defined and discussed but we can deduced and assume that person/patient, environment, health, and nursing are as explained as follows:

PERSON/PATIENT. Terminally ill patients specifically cancer patients of all types and ages are viewed as a holistic being with certain needs in all aspects of their lives may it be on the psychological, physical, emotional or spiritual well-being. The main goal is to improve quality of life using diverse approach to achieve optimum health and wellness and peaceful acceptance of the condition as well.

ENVIRONMENT. There is no clear definition as to how and what is environment as a major paradigm in this theory, but since this theory approaches and assists a holistic person with a terminal illness, we can always assume that environment plays a big role. External factors ranging from peaceful surroundings to moral support from significant others have a big impact in patient’s improvement of quality of living.

HEALTH. Health for terminally ill patients or for those who has an incurable disease such as cancer is measured by the quality of life they are experiencing. Acceptance and acknowledgement of the condition coupled with understanding of the diseases’ nature gauges how much motivation it can provide a terminally ill person would be able to achieve optimum health and well-being in all aspects of life.

NURSING. The goal of nursing care is improvement of quality of life and assistance with peaceful death. Nurses acts as facilitators, counselors, and advisers as well in order to provide holistic care to these cancer patients who requires assistance in all aspects of life and disease.