Whole person care is a key part of cancer treatment, but what does it mean exactly? Experts Dr. Amy Comander from Massachusetts General Hospital and Nicole Normandin Rueda, LMSW from PEN discuss the meaning, aspects, and benefits of whole person care for cancer patients.

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

We hear about the importance of wellness during and after cancer treatment. Some refer to it as whole person care or lifestyle medicine, but what is it really? I’m getting to the bottom of it in this Patient Empowerment Network RESTORE Program. 

Dr. Comander, can you explain the concept of whole person care in the context of cancer treatment, and why are these concepts or strategies important for patients and care partners to understand?

Dr. Amy Comander:

Thank you for that excellent question. As an oncologist, I really focus on providing care for the whole patient or really taking what we also refer to as a patient-centered approach, certainly taking into account my patient’s diagnosis, the stage of the cancer, and the appropriate treatments, but also how can I best address all the other needs my patient is facing, whether that’s transportation to appointments, her goals when it comes to her treatment plan, her neighborhood she lives in and how easy it is for her to get to appointments and get outside to get exercise, and really thinking about all of these needs and integrating them as I formulate a treatment plan and also bringing in other members of our team to address the needs that my patient may face so we can really take care of the whole patient. So I’m so glad that you asked about that.

Lisa Hatfield:

Thank you. Nicole, can you share what the meaning of a whole person care is for you as a social worker? As you interact with patients, how do you explain it to them?

Nicole Normandin Rueda:

Sure. So whole person care means you’re addressing not just the physical aspects of cancer, but also the emotional, social, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of the patient’s experience. 

The approach recognizes that cancer affects every aspect of a patient’s life and that effective care must go beyond just the traditional medical treatments. It also includes everything from nutrition, physical activity, counseling. It’s very personalized to the patient, meaning we take the time to get to know the patient, figure out how we can help tailor the interventions that we’re going to suggest to their specific needs, including everything that we need to consider, such as their personal, cultural, or social context. And finally, it’s holistic. So we’re addressing emotional, psychological, social challenges that may arise.

In addition to just being diagnosed with cancer, everything else that’s compounded whenever that happens to somebody, we want to make sure that we are addressing as much of that as possible. So whenever I’m interacting with patients, I’m the social worker that comes in and really just gets to explain all of this from A to Z, that we are, as a team, we’re going to take a comprehensive approach that treats them as individuals, rather as just focusing on treating the disease.

I emphasize that we’re looking at their overall well-being, helping them manage their day-to-day life, as well as everything else that comes with a cancer diagnosis, their side effects, the emotional stress, the financial issues that may come about, the change in roles, the cultural things that may come up. All of these things will be addressed in some way or another, depending on what the needs of the patient are.

Lisa Hatfield:

You heard it here directly from the experts. Thanks for joining this RESTORE Program. I’m your host, Lisa Hatfield.