1. Meaning of the Illness/Condition
What is known about general societal attitudes, believes and assumptions about this condition?
Describe how individual health beliefs might affect a patient’s or family’s response to, or ability to cope with, this health condition. How might beliefs vary by race/ethnicity, cultural or religious values and preferences, age, gender, SES, sexual orientation?
Describe how certain social structures or environmental conditions (e.g., racism, sexism, health care delivery systems, family systems or culturally-based values or traditions, social norms, social support, etc.) affect a patient’s or family’s response to, or ability to cope with, this health condition.
How do you react to this diagnosis based on your own family belief systems about health, treatment, this condition?
2.Psychosocial Impact
What psychosocial stressors might an individual/family face with this health condition? How might these stressors vary at different times along the continuum of care? How might these stressors vary based on individuals’ demographic status and social identities (socio-economic status, race/ethnic status, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender)
Describe the psychosocial demands of this illness/health problem as you anticipate the continuum of care that began at diagnosis and will continue through future phases of treatment (or non-treatment), and transitions to off-treatment or the end-of-life.
How might life change for a person, their caregivers and family if and when treatment starts? When it stops?
What is known from research that may help anticipate what a person and their family might need in terms of information, practical support, emotional support, and social support? How might these needs vary at different times along the continuum of care?
What is known about professional caregiver experience and stress in working with this particular population of clients. What are caregiver issues regarding providing services to this population?
What community supports, specialized organizations, websites and support groups/blogs exist for this condition? Please list specific supports found or the lack of supports and what significance this has for you.
What factors appear to facilitate or enable people with this condition to cope with these challenges? What factors appear to challenge coping?
3. Social Work Role
Discuss the role of social work/your discipline in influencing this health problem, its course of illness, and individuals’ or families’ abilities to cope across a continuum of care.
Using what you have learned from this course, readings and literature review, what might an integrated approach to care look like?
What are your ideas about how a health social work (or your health discipline if not social work) might support a patient in addressing, supporting, educating them regarding their diagnosis and treatment.
What are roles for a social worker/your discipline in providing support and assistance as it relates to your disease/condition?
Anatomy of a Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system. It is more common than the other general type of Lymphoma, Hodgkin Lymphoma. The impact of culture on this type of cancer outcomes is bidirectional. The patient’s and his or her family’s culture influences the meanings assigned to the threat of cancer and their response to both the disease and the healthcare system. Unequal distribution of funding for hospitals caring for minorities results in a lower quality of cancer care available to minority patients. Sociocultural values are also linked to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma outcomes through beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to prevention and screening, provider-patient relationships and interactions, and adherence to medical treatments. Living with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma can cause a great deal of stress, whether you have been diagnosed or someone close to you has. These signs include: difficulty concentrating, difficulty relaxing, and making haste decisions or having a difficulty making decisions.
tatus of the father is open for interpretation, but no mother is shown. Being a single father is not the focus of the book either, it is simply a day out with his son. The verses describe the parks sounds and sights on a summers day: “Striike one! Striike two! An umpire’s call. Craaack! Whoosh! Retorts the ball.” The book also makes mention of the pigeons cooing and the big dogs barking as the sounds echoed through the park. The sounds and sights of Central Park are shown in beautiful illustrations as the father and son have their day out together.
Raising You Alone Picture Book/ Animal Fiction
Hanson, W. (2005). Raising You Alone. Minneapolis: Tristan Pub.
A family of rabbits show us the quirks and challenges of single parent families. Raising You Alone is showing single parenting through the eyes of the parent, and how much the parent does because they love their children. It displays the difficulties of being a single parent and the frustrations of being the child of a single parent. Walking through life’s ups and downs the story takes us through the pain, successes and unconditional love between a parent and a child. It discusses all the issues faced being a single parent family such as loss, loneliness and the lack of money and time, but those are all balanced by the good times and making of memories with their children. It shows parents when they are at their most frustrated and how they make up with their kids because they love them more than anything. It makes mention to parents taking care of their children while also working to take care of themselves. The book celebrated the strength of family and how you don’t need two parents to have a strong support system. The message from the parent rabbit is that there may be struggles but there will also be fantastic times and that they will always love you and do their best at raising you alone.