A Retrospective Age Analysis of the Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey: Differences in Satisfaction across Dimensions of Person-Centred Care and Unmet Needs among Older Adults Receiving Cancer Treatment.

Over half of all new cancer cases in Alberta are diagnosed among people aged 65+ years, a group that encompasses vast variation. Patient-reported experience measures are routinely collected within Cancer Care Alberta; however, the specific consideration of the needs and concerns of older Albertans with cancer is lacking. In 2021, 2204 adults who had received treatment at a cancer centre in Alberta completed the Ambulatory Oncology Patient Satisfaction Survey (AOPSS).

Relationship between income and concerns about physical changes and help-seeking by older adult cancer survivors: a secondary analysis.

Objective: Globally, the number of older adults surviving cancer is anticipated to grow rapidly over the next decades. Cancer and its treatment can leave survivors with a myriad of challenges including physical changes which impact independence and quality of life. This project explored the relationship of income level with concerns and help-seeking for physical changes following treatment in older Canadian survivors of cancer.

Challenges of Survivorship for Older Adults Diagnosed with Cancer.

Purpose Of Review: The purpose of this brief review is to highlight significant recent developments in survivorship research and care of older adults following cancer treatment. The aim is to provide insight into care and support needs of older adults during cancer survivorship as well as directions for future research.

Recent Findings: The numbers of older adult cancer survivors are increasing globally.

Exploring the relationships between income and emotional/practical concerns and help-seeking by older adult cancer survivors: A secondary analysis.

Purpose: The number of older cancer survivors is growing rapidly and expected to double through the next decade. Survivors can face challenges from treatment as well as other co-morbid conditions which may influence quality of living and generate distress. Understanding more about factors influencing whether older cancer survivors receive the help they desire is important for cancer program planning.

The Role of Family Caregivers in the Care of Older Adults with Cancer.

Objectives: To provide an overview on the role of family caregivers (FCGs) in the care of older adults with cancer and review quality of life needs for FCGs.

Data Sources: Journal articles, research reports, state of the science papers, position papers, and clinical guidelines from professional organizations were used.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of multiple comorbidities and the associated burden of geriatric events in older adults have a substantial impact on the quality of life of their FCGs.

Cancer survivors 75 years and older: physical, emotional and practical needs.

Objectives: To describe physical, emotional and practical concerns and access to help of Canadian cancer survivors aged 75+ years following treatment.

Methods: A survey was designed to identify concerns and access to help across three supportive care domains for cancer survivors 1-3 years post-treatment. Random samples were drawn from 10 provincial cancer registries.

A survey of nurses' experience integrating oncology clinical and academic worlds.

Aim: To better understand how oncology nurses (a) navigate graduate studies; (b) perceive the impact of their academic work on their clinical practice, and vice versa; and (c) engage with clinical settings following graduate work.

Design: Interpretive descriptive cross-sectional survey.

Methods: A qualitative exploratory web-based survey exploring integration of graduate studies and clinical nursing practice.

Measuring quality of life in older people with cancer.

Purpose Of Review: The number of individuals aged 65+ with cancer will double in the next decade. Attention to quality of life (QOL) is imperative to identify relevant endpoints/outcomes in research and provide care that matches individual needs. This review summarizes recent publications regarding QOL measurement in older adults with cancer, considering implications for research and practice.

Main challenges in survivorship transitions: Perspectives of older adults with cancer.

Objectives: To describe main challenges experienced by older adults (75+ years) following primary cancer treatment as a basis for development of age-appropriate survivorship care.

Material And Methods: A national survey was conducted across ten Canadian provinces to identify experiences with follow-up for cancer survivors one to three years post-treatment. The survey included open-ended questions for respondents to add details that offered deeper insight into their experiences.

Improving survivorship care: Perspectives of cancer survivors 75 years and older.

Purpose: This work describes perspectives of older adult cancer survivors about improvements that should be considered during the early period of survivorship. Findings will be useful in program development of age-appropriate services following completion of cancer treatment for older adults.

Methods: A national survey was conducted across ten Canadian provinces to understand follow-up experiences of cancer survivors one to three years post-treatment.

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: A Case Report on Personalizing Cancer Care of an Older Adult Patient With Head and Neck Cancer.

Background: Understanding multidimensional screening and assessment is key to optimizing cancer care in older adults.

Objectives: This article aims to present comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) as an approach to personalizing care for older adults with cancer.

Methods: A case study of an 89-year-old man with head and neck cancer is presented as a framework to describe the process of CGA and an overview of geriatric oncology screening and assessment.

Role of the geriatrician, primary care practitioner, nurses, and collaboration with oncologists during cancer treatment delivery for older adults: A narrative review of the literature.

Cancer is a disease that mostly affects older adults. With the aging of the population there will be a considerable increase in the number of older adults with cancer. Optimal care of the older adult with cancer requires the involvement of many types of health care providers, including oncologists, nurses, primary care practitioners, and geriatricians.

Mobilizing purpose and passion in oncology nursing care of older adults: From conference workshop to special interest group.

In Canada, 45% of new cancer cases and 63% of cancer deaths occur amongst Canadians 70 years and older. These older people with cancer and their families present particular needs and concerns that often remain under-recognized and unmet. As the number of older Canadians is expected to more than double in the next 25 years, we must integrate understanding of aging into oncology nursing practice, education, policy, and research, developing models of care that optimize appropriate outcomes for older adults.

Living with cancer and other chronic conditions: Patients' perceptions of their healthcare experience.

Multimorbidity is known to contribute to the complexity of care for patients with cancer. This qualitative study begins to explore cancer patients' experience with multimodal treatments, that is, treatments for multiple chronic conditions, as well as issues related to navigating the healthcare system. Participants (n=10) were recruited from an ambulatory cancer centre in a large, university-affiliated hospital in Montreal, Quebec.

Communication in cancer care: psycho-social, interactional, and cultural issues. A general overview and the example of India.

Communication is a core aspect of psycho-oncology care. This article examines key psychosocial, cultural, and technological factors that affect this communication. Drawing from advances in clinical work and accumulating bodies of empirical evidence, the authors identify determining factors for high quality, efficient, and sensitive communication and support for those affected by cancer.

Developing an interprofessional care plan for an older adult woman with breast cancer: from multiple voices to a shared vision.

Interprofessional collaboration is central to quality patient care; however, little is known about developing interprofessional care plans, particularly in oncology. This article describes the development of an interprofessional care plan for an older adult woman with breast cancer. Two collaborative expert workshops were used; 15 clinical experts reviewed an online patient case and were asked to prepare a uniprofessional care plan.

Patient decision making among older individuals with cancer.

Patient decision making is an area of increasing inquiry. For older individuals experiencing cancer, variations in health and functional status, physiologic aspects of aging, and tension between quality and quantity of life present unique challenges to treatment-related decision making. We used the pragmatic utility method to analyze the concept of patient decision making in the context of older individuals with cancer.