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Get EXPERT INFORMATION about the Problem and What You Can
Do about It
The foundation for good problem solving is knowledge about the problem and
about what can be done to deal with the problem. The home care plans give you five kinds
of expert information needed to solve caregiving problems. Read the home care plans before starting to deal with a
problem-then you will have a complete understanding of the problem and what you can do to
deal with it. You should also re-read the plan periodically, especially if your plan does
not seem to be working, to be sure that you are doing everything you can.
Develop
an Orderly and Systematic Plan
Problem solving is done best in an orderly, systematic way. This means
you should:
Get the facts
Be clear about what is happening. Separate facts from opinions. |
Review what you can do
Read the home care plan and other written information about the problem. Ask health
professionals for recommendations. Think back over your own experiences for ideas and
strategies that worked in the past. Ask what you can reasonably hope to achieve. |
Decide on the Best Strategy
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches you could take,
and develop a strategy that has a reasonable chance of achieving your goal. |
Consider Obstacles
Think of what could interfere with your plan, and think creatively about what you can
do to deal with those obstacles. |
Carry Out and Adjust your Plan
Set deadlines for yourself to be sure things get done. Keep records of how the plan is
working, and keep calendars of important treatment dates. This will help you to monitor
progress and to explain to medical staff what you have done and what the results were. If
the plan is not working or you are not having as much success as you hoped, ask yourself
if you are expecting change too fast and whether you should adjust your goals. Then repeat
the problem-solving steps to develop a new plan, paying special attention to maintaining a
positive attitude and expecting success. |
Have an OPTIMISTIC Attitude while Being Realistic
about Your Problems
Carry Out and Adjust your Plan
Set deadlines for yourself to be sure things get done. Keep records of how the plan is
working, and keep calendars of important treatment dates. This will help you to monitor
progress and to explain to medical staff what you have done and what the results were. If
the plan is not working or you are not having as much success as you hoped, ask yourself
if you are expecting change too fast and whether you should adjust your goals. Then repeat
the problem-solving steps to develop a new plan, paying special attention to maintaining a
positive attitude and expecting success. |
Have a positive attitude
One of the most important things you can do to help the young person you are caring for
is to have a positive attitude. People who are dealing with the stress of cancer and
cancer treatments need encouragement, and they need help noticing the good things that are
happening. At the same time, it is important to be realistic about the seriousness of
their problems so that they do not feel that their problems are being ignored or
belittled. |
Expect to Succeed
If you think that there is a good chance of succeeding, you will do your best. If you
think the problem is hopeless and that nothing will work, it will be hard for you to do
your best at carrying out your plans, and the people who are around you will become
discouraged, too. If you do feel discouraged and negative, then get help from someone who
has a positive attitude and who is a good problem solver. This could be friends or family
members, health professionals, and, if he or she is old enough, the young person with
cancer. Read the home care plan for Parents' Depression for help in controlling negative
thinking that interferes with effective problem solving. |
Take Breaks from Caregiving
Do things that you enjoy to take care of yourself so that you will be able to have a
positive outlook, even when you feel under stress. Read the home care plan for Successful
Caregiving for ideas and guidance about how to deal with your feelings as a caregiver.
Also, read the home care plans for Parents' Anxiety, and Parents' Depression. They will
help you to have the emotional strength you need to have a positive attitude and to solve
the problems that come with caregiving. |
Be CREATIVE
As a caregiver you will be
constantly challenged to think creatively. Each person is unique and each problem is unique. Therefore, you must be creative in
adapting your plans to fit each unique situation. Most plans will run into obstacles or
road blocks. Overcoming or side-stepping these obstacles will also challenge your
creativity. When your plans don't work out as you had hoped, you should see this as a
challenge to your creativity. Here are three things you can do to help yourself think
creatively when dealing with obstacles.
See the obstacle from someone else's point of view. Put yourself in the shoes of
another person who can look at your problem differently and ask yourself what he or she
would do.
Ask other people who have faced similar problems for ideas about how to get around
your obstacle.
Ask how important or serious the obstacle really is. Does this obstacle really stop
you from carrying out your plan? Sometimes you can ignore or work around an obstacle and
still carry out your plan.
How To Develop Your Own Home Care Plans
The home care plans in this manual deal with only the most common
problems that young people with cancer and their home caregivers have. You can also use
the same home care plans as models for the information you need to solve other caregiving
problems.
Understanding the Problem
The first step in developing your own home care plan is to understand exactly what the
problem is you are trying to solve. You should also have a clear idea of your goal.
You need to find out what kinds of children have this problem, when they have it, what
kinds of things can be done to help, and what is a reasonable goal to work toward. For
medical problems, ask the doctor or nurse. For nonmedical problems, social workers, child
life staff, and nurses are often very knowledgeable. Other caregivers and members of
support groups can also help.
You also need to know the facts for your situation. Exactly what happened, when did it
happen, how often did it happen, how severe is it, what was done in the past, and what
were the results? Be sure that these are facts and not just opinions or impressions. Facts
are the foundation for successful problem solving.
When to get professional help
For medical problems or problems that could endanger the health of the young person
with cancer, ask the doctor, nurse, or social worker when and whom you should call.
What you can do to help
For medical problems, ask the doctor, nurse, or social worker what you can do on your
own to deal with the problem-or to prevent it from happening.
For non-medical problems, you can develop your own strategies by using your experience
and your creativity and by asking other people for ideas. Think back to what you did in
the past that was helpful for similar problems. If something was just partly successful,
think how you could use it with this problem. Be creative. Try to think of new ways to
look at the problem and unusual ways to solve it. Try "brainstorming," where you
free your imagination and try to think of unusual ideas. When you brainstorm, make the
longest list of ideas you can, and don't criticize your ideas until after the list is
finished. Then choose the best ideas from the list. The freer your imagination and the
longer the list, the better are your chances of coming up with a creative solution.
Finally, you should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each idea and choose what to
do based on your past experiences and what you think will have the best chance of
succeeding.
Possible obstacles
Consider what could prevent you from carrying out your plan and how you are going to
deal with these obstacles.
For medical problems, ask the doctor, nurse, or social worker about difficulties that
other people have had in dealing with the problem and how to overcome them.
For non-medical problems, think of what obstacles could prevent you from carrying out
your plan and how you will deal with them.
Carrying out and adjusting your
plan
You need to know how to check on your progress. What changes should you
be looking for and how fast should you realistically expect to see change? Ask health
professionals or people who have dealt with similar problems for suggestions and advice.
How To Make the Best Use of Home Care Plans
First read the outline headings to know what information the plan contains. Then read
the whole plan to fully understand what you can do and why.
The home care plans are organized as outlines. You can quickly read the topic headings
in bold type and have a good overview of what the plans are saying. Topics with an arrow
in front of them are actions you can take or symptoms you can look for. So, if you want to
quickly review what you can do, just read the topics with arrows to the left.
We also recommend that you read all the information in a home care plan before you
start dealing with a problem. Then you will have a complete understanding of the problem
and what you can do to solve it.
Notice and deal with problems early
One of the most important ways that you can help the young person with
cancer is to notice and deal with problems early. Problems are easier to
solve when they are just starting, and early intervention can often
prevent problems from becoming serious. If you read the home care plans
before problems develop, you will be prepared if they occur, and, since
some plans include how to prevent problems, you can even prevent some
problems from happening
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