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.

Keyword:

• Content analysis
• occupational engagement
• qualitative descriptive design
• self-developed strategies

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants who shared their time and experiences in relation to this study, and the nurses who established contact to the participants. The study was funded by the Danish Cancer Society, the Tryg Fonden and the Danish Association of Occupational Therapists.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.