中年期之健康照護：生病經驗之衝擊－－以癌症為例

Impacts of Illness Experiences on Middle-Aged Health Care: A Cancer Example

年夫妻在家庭中扮演著相當重要的角色，其擔負著照顧雙親、支持配偶、教養子女的重擔。本文以癌症為例，探討生病經驗於患者心靈與家庭層面之衝擊。患者在心靈上常受到死亡、持續的生理症狀、自我健康概念改變等威脅；在夫妻相處模式上，歷經身體心像及親密關係的改變；而在與親子互動方面，則出現與子女溝通及情緒處理之困擾。因此除了提供患者在疾病健康照護的同時，護理人員也應積極協助其家庭運作的調整。

Middle-aged couples play multiple family roles. In addition to supporting each other, they also act as caregivers for their children and elderly parents. When they are diagnosed with a severe illness such as cancer, the impacts on the psycho-spiritual aspects of their lives include fear of death and loss of control. While dealing with these and other disease-related issues, they must maintain intimate relationships with their spouses and try to communicate with their children about their health status. In addition to providing individual care, nurses must make the effort to help their patients make adjustments in their family relationships.