Vortrag Venedighort
Learning to live with cancer© - the Swiss Experience
Liselotte Dietrich, Oncology-Nurse, Counsellor/Supervisor, Herisau, Switzerland
Abstract Psycooncology World Congress, Venedig, 2006
‘Learning to live with cancer’ is a structured education and support programme for cancer patients and their relatives. The main aims of the program are to inform about cancer and to enhance coping strategies.
The program was developed by Prof.G.Grahn (Lund, Sweden). In a research project learning-needs of cancer patients and their relatives were identified. Based on this results a structured education program containing 16 hours education was developed in collaboration with patients and relatives and evaluated after first courses. Afterwards 'Training to Trainers' were offered to experienced nurses in Oncology in Europe. There nurses from Switzerland participated and in 1998 the first courses were offered in Bern and Geneva. Since then more than 600 patients and relatives participated in a course and six 'Training the Trainers' were held for nurses.
The programme provides basic information and enables the participants to improve their coping strategies and help to regain a feeling of control. It s a cognitive and an emotional support programme. The discussion between the participants helps to share experiences. During the eight sessions information are given to the human body, the cancer disease, diagnose, treatment, including research and complementary care, nutrition, side effects, crisis, coping, relaxation of body and mind and expression of feelings with expressive art.
In 2002 the «Swiss Association Learning to live with cancer©» was created to promote the offer of the program, to protect the quality and control the evaluation.