“I was so frightened,” Carlette says. “As an African-American woman, I hadn’t
seen anyone like me who had been through this, but just hearing the assurances
from my doctors and nurses that I would survive was so important to me.”
Giving back
Carlette’s experience has given her a valuable perspective that the hospital
is tapping into. Last year, she became one of 80 patient and family advisors
who provide hospital staff with a patient’s perspective on everything from
administrative concerns to medical care. She serves on the Institutional
Review Board as a community representative and has recently contributed to
the development of the new oncology rehabilitation program.
The program is designed to help the patient care team quickly identify and
find support for patients with a broad array of concerns that arise before,
during and sometimes long after treatment. The solutions are often simple
once a patient’s needs are understood and the available resources to help
are identified. A physical therapist might improve arm strength or range of
motion for a breast cancer survivor. Or a social worker may find assistance for
a cancer patient who is also a caregiver at home.
Valued voices
“The DeCesaris Cancer Institute has always given attention to these
resources,” says Carol Tweed, MD, the medical director of the cancer rehab
program. “But now everyone in the system is trained at a more specialized
level. And now there is a dedicated nurse navigator whose job is to ensure the
patient and the patient care team have all the information and resources they
need to deal with the problems associated with cancer treatment.”
That person, oncology nurse navigator Matthew LeBlanc, RN, serves as
the point person for cancer patients. Carlette and three other patient advisors
were part of the nurse navigator interview process and selected Matthew for
the job.
“Patients know something about their care that we can’t know,” says Matthew.
“They deserve a seat at the table to voice their fears and share their perspective.”
Carlette agrees 100 percent. “When a hospital comes to a patient and asks,
‘How can we make this better? What do patients need based on what you
went through?’ they’re really stepping up to the plate,” she says.
It’s been four years since Carlette was first diagnosed with breast cancer, and
her journey to survivorship was long and difficult. Now cancer-free, Carlette
is committed to sharing her firsthand experience in ways that will help other
cancer patients.
“When I serve as a patient advisor, I am giving back to AAMC to show
how grateful I am for their expert care, and I’m giving back to my community
because it not only helps the community but it also gives me a sense of
satisfaction,” Carlette says. “We may not always see the difference, but others
definitely feel the difference.”
Interested in becoming a patient and family advisor? Visit
askAAMC.org/Advisors
or call
443-481-1688
to learn more.
Prehabilitation and
Rehabilitation for
Cancer Patients
Cancer treatment can be difficult,
causing pain, fatigue and disability.
AAMC offers patients undergoing
cancer treatment prehabilitation
and rehabilitation therapy, which
have been shown to improve
outcomes. The goal is to enhance
the patient’s physical and
emotional stamina prior to surgery,
post-chemotherapy—or whenever
there’s a need. The individualized
program, which includes
occupational therapy, physical
therapy and an array of other
therapies, focuses on increasing
strength and energy while
managing pain and improving
quality of life for cancer survivors.
To learn more about
this program, visit
askAAMC.org/CancerRehab
.
askAAMC.org «
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