Hanne Peoples

Managing occupations in everyday life for people with advanced cancer living at home

Abstract Background: People with advanced cancer are able to live for extended periods of time. Advanced cancer can cause functional limitations influencing the ability to manage occupations. Although studies have shown that people with advanced cancer experience occupational difficulties, there is only limited research that specifically explores how these occupational difficulties are managed. Objective: To describe and explore how people with advanced cancer manage occupations when living at home. Material and methods: A sub-sample of 73 participants from a larger occupational therapy project took part in the study. The participants were consecutively recruited from a Danish university hospital. Qualitative interviews were performed at the homes of the participants. Content analysis was applied to the data. Results: Managing occupations were manifested in two main categories; (1) Conditions influencing occupations in everyday life and (2) Self-developed strategies to manage occupations. Significance: The findings suggest that people with advanced cancer should be supported to a greater extent in finding ways to manage familiar as well as new and more personally meaningful occupations to enhance quality of life.

Belonging and quality of life as perceived by people with advanced cancer who live at home

ABSTRACT Introduction: In a previous paper, we explored how people with advanced cancer experience occupational engagement and perceive quality of life; this pointed to the importance of doing things with and for others. These emerging findings resonate with the theoretical conceptualization of belonging within occupational science. Purpose: To gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which perceived quality of life of people with advanced cancer who live at home may be associated with belonging, mediated through occupation. Methods: Nine participants took part in this study which used a combination of semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation to generate data. Data from 18 interviews and 77 photographs were analyzed thematically, drawing on four dimensions of belonging. Findings: The findings highlight that maintaining engagement in occupations enables a sense of belonging which the participants associated with quality of life. Aspects related to the dimension of social belonging may become especially important when living with advanced cancer and isolation may constitute a potential barrier to experiencing a sense of belonging. Artefacts may also enable a sense of belonging and generate existential and spiritual feelings which may evoke concerns of impending death.