Carers Week - How the patient journal supports patients and carers while on treatment
This week is Carers Week! To raise awareness of the vital role carers play in supporting their loved ones, we’d like to introduce Carol Coady who shared the importance of keeping a journal. Carol is one of our Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) members who was a carer to her late husband Peter Coady, who also served on the CAC when it first began.
Carol cared for Peter over the eleven years of his cancer. At each appointment they documented Peter’s appointments, treatment details, medications, doctors’ names and finances related to treatment. Their notebook helped track details in one place to make it easier to manage the masses of information provided over Peter’s long cancer history. This made their experience less stressful because they felt more in control.
So inspired by Carols’ wisdom, we worked with her to co-design a special GenesisCare Patient Journal. While many of us track appointments via our smart devices, some people still like written records which can be referred to quickly when needed.
To learn more about how Carol brought her concept to life, watch the video below:
Top tips from Carol include:
- Keep treatment details in case you forget them
- Write down important contact number
- Write down side effects and symptoms to help with your appointments
- Jot down your thoughts and feeling
- Take along a book, puzzle or cards during long treatment appointments
Disclaimer
Any medical procedure or treatment involving the use of radiation carries risks, including skin irritation and associated pain. Before proceeding with treatment, you should discuss the risks and benefits of the treatment with an appropriately qualified health practitioner. Individual treatment outcomes and experiences will vary. This information does not represent the outcome in your particular situation.
