WHO CARES - PATIENTS DESCRIPTIONS OF AGE-RELATED ASPECTS OF CANCER AND CARE IN STOCKHOLM

This exploratory study examines the situation of a heterogeneous group of 46 cancer patients from one general hospital in the Stockholm area who were diagnosed with a malignant disease in 1987. Forty-six patien ts were interviewed to determine how they experience and cope with the ir sickness. Although age-related issues were not directly addressed b y the interviewer, they were frequently commented upon by the responde nts. A questionnaire was also used to quantify various psychosocial as pects of the individual's cancer experience. Quantitative and qualitat ive data were used in a complementary fashion. The patients interviewe d ranged in age from 29 to 88 years (median 61). Issues related to age were frequently addressed spontaneously by the interviewed persons, w hich led to further exploration of age-related aspects of care. Althou gh few age-related differences in symptom distress were found, some di fferences were seen in patients' perceptions of the response of the pr ofessional health-care system. The older patients related that they ha ve less quantitative contact with specialized formal resources, and pe rceive less sense of engagement and concern from the professional heal th-care sector. The qualitative analysis suggests that age may be used by patients as an explanatory factor in a variety of situations, func tioning as a means of ''making sense'' of sickness experiences.