Amar Singh is 70 years old and lives with his wife and younger son in Okhla, South Delhi. His elder son is married and lives in separate accommodation. He has a daughter, who is also married. Theirs is a lower middle-class family where both Amar and his son has to pitch in to make enough to manage the family’s day-to-day expenses.

A few days ago, Amar noticed some change in his voice. His voice had grown hoarse. Upon the advice of a doctor, he showed himself at AIIMS Hospital, Delhi. Tests done at AIIMS showed cancer of the thyroid. On receiving this news, the whole family was devastated. For a few days after the diagnosis, the family was too numb with shock to think about anything else but kept running back and forth between the hospital and their home, desperately looking for a cure. Within a week, the oncologist revealed that Amar’s cancer had reached a non-curable stage and referred him to CanSupport for palliative care at home.

When the home care team from CanSupport met Amar and his family for the first time, they were very nervous. Amar was in a lot of pain. Tracheostomy had been done and Ryle’s tube inserted to feed him. He also had a catheter inserted. Amar was really worried about what lay in store for him in the future and had lost a lot of weight. The team doctor helped Amar with medicines for pain, much to the relief of the family who couldn’t bear to see him in pain. The team nurse demonstrated to the caregiver how to keep the tracheostomy, Ryle’s tube, and catheter clean. This was very useful for his care at home.

During the following few visits, the team counsellor focussed on one on one dialogue with Amar and his family members to help them share their worries and anxieties. What was worrying Amar the most was that because of him, his entire family was perturbed. He shared he was so anxious that he didn’t feel like either eating or drinking. He also felt burdened that his wife was really worried for him. Compassionate listening by the counsellor was very cathartic and therapeutic for Amar and he felt much lighter. The counsellor encouraged Amar to focus on ‘Living’ his life and to enjoy his time with the family. This helped Amar have a change of perspective and he became more positive about his situation. The counsellor also counselled his wife and children to create a happy and more positive environment at home and shift their focus on creating happy memories with Amar by spending quality time with him. Regular counselling sessions helped in transforming the atmosphere at home, making it more positive.

Amar’s son, daughters and other family members now regularly visit him to keep him in high spirits, while the home care team continues to manage his pain and other symptoms. Both he and his family are grateful that a team of doctor, nurse and counsellor visit them regularly to ensure that Amar doesn’t experience any pain or any other discomfort and is able to live his remaining days without pain and with dignity.