Being Empowered | The Importance of Understanding Myeloma
How can patients and care partners feel empowered when facing a myeloma diagnosis? Nurse practitioner Donna Catamero highlights the importance of education, shared decision-making, and a strong emotional support network, along with using trusted sources for reliable information.
Donna Catamero is a Nurse Practitioner and associate director of the Multiple Myeloma Clinical Research Program at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Learn more about Donna Catamero.
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Transcript:
Katherine Banwell:
As a provider, how do you empower care partners and patients who have been diagnosed with myeloma?
Donna Catamero:
So, education, education, education. Knowledge is power. Learn everything you can, attend your support groups, attend educational seminars, and be part of your decision making. So, we called that shared decision making. You’re part of the healthcare team. You need to tell your providers what your goals of therapy are, and in order to do that, you really need to educate yourself on what kind of therapies, what are the supportive care options, and be part of that discussion.
Katherine Banwell:
And how does one educate themselves? Are there websites that you would recommend they go to?
Donna Catamero:
There are several foundations and organizations that I find very useful for patients. Our instinct is to go to the Google machine and type in our thoughts, but we do have great foundations. The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the International Myeloma Foundation, HealthTree – all great resources for patients. They provide education, educational seminars, support groups, mentors. There are hotlines where patients can call and get the information right at their fingertips, and this is really from reliable sources.
Katherine Banwell:
How do you counsel patients on coping with the emotional side of myeloma? What advice and resources are available for them there?
Donna Catamero:
So, it’s important to try to get yourself a good emotional support network, so your family, your friends, your fellow myeloma community can really provide support for patients, and really – when you get – I’m going to repeat that. When you get a devastating diagnosis, patients can tend to withdraw from family and friends, but family and friends – your support network – can really help patients get through very trying times, so, your caregivers, your family, your friends, and like I said, the myeloma community is here to help.