Breaking the
News 
Menstuff® has compiled the following information on Breaking
the Bad News.
Breaking the Bad News to the Family
Getting bad cancer news from your doctor is very hard. Telling your
family and friends can be even harder. Now there's help.
A new program from the University of Heidelberg in Germany helps
cancer patients get much-needed support from the people in their
lives. Alexander Marmé, MD, presented the findings at this
week's meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
"There are two major problems here: anxiety, enhanced by a lack of
knowledge," Marmé says in a news release. "Patients are afraid
of talking about their illness with relatives. They don't know how to
deal with it. The lack of communication causes additional stress in
personal relationships."
Marmé and colleagues interviewed 58 cancer patients. Most
thought they already communicated well with their partners but saw
room for improvement.
To this end, the researchers have set up one-day workshops for
cancer patients and their partners. The aim is to teach them the
communication skills needed to get support -- not only from one
another, but also from family and friends. It's called the GOALS
program:
- Getting together. A special time and chosen place
should be used to set this important conversation apart from the
distractions of day-to-day life.
- Opening. Those involved must agree that there is a need
or wish to talk.
- Acknowledging each other's emotions. Understanding what
the other person is feeling is crucial.
- Learning about the disease and exchanging ideas.
- Strategy. It's important to make plans to meet again
and to keep the discussion open.
"Our program aims to break down the barriers and encourage people
to discuss their cancer openly and appropriately," Marmé
says.
Source: Daniel DeNoon, my.webmd.com/content/article/2946.5931
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