Bhupender was 38 years old and used to work in Karkardooma as a bailiff. He lived with his wife and two children – a daughter and a son and was the sole bread earner in the family. Although the house that they lived in was their own, the overall monetary condition of the family was not great. He was diagnosed with oral cancer at stage four. Bhupender’s life turned upside down when he was diagnosed with cancer.

The home care team from CanSupport got Bhupender’s referral through its telephone helpline. His treatment had not yet started. His physical symptoms included pain and a wound in the facial area that caused discomfort and distress. As a result, Bhupender could not sleep easily at night.

His wife was his immediate caregiver, and she was clueless on how to manage these symptoms at home. Soon after Bhupender started his treatment and his wife would regularly accompany him to the hospital, along with taking care of all her household chores, and looking after the children.

CanSupport’s palliative care team’s priority was to manage Bhupender’s pain and take care of the wound. The team nurse taught and educated Bhupender’s wife on wound management at home. Initially, Bhupender’s wife was very uneasy and not confident about managing the wound and was pretty reluctant, but the support and guidance given by the team eased her fears and she soon gained confidence to handle it.

After focusing on Bhupender’s urgent need of symptom management, during their third visit, the team counsellor focussed on talking to Bhupender and his wife to understand their emotional and psychosocial concerns. By engaging Bhupender in a dialogue, the counsellor further explored Bhupender’s feelings about his diagnosis and gauge his acceptance level towards the prognosis.

Bhupender was still in denial and was hopeful of recovering from his disease. His wife too had not yet accepted the prognosis.

The team made the couple feel safe by telling them that the team was going to be available to them at all times to help them through any of their worries or concerns. They also infused courage and a feeling of empowerment in both Bhupender and his wife so that they could face their circumstances with courage and optimism.

While Bhupender’s treatment went on in the hospital, the team continued to visit him to handle and manage all the symptoms arising out of his illness and treatment.

When his condition began to decline, the hospital old the family to look after Bhupender at home since there was nothing else they could do to cure him. This was most stressful for Bhupender’s wife, since she knew that the burden of looking after him at home would completely fall on her shoulders. Bhupender also wanted to continue to stay in the hospital as he also felt that at home, he wouldn’t be looked after well.

Regular counselling sessions with the team counsellor helped Bhupender’s wife accept the prognosis. Her biggest fear now was how would she look after her husband at home all by herself.

The team counsellor, acknowledging her concerns, suggested that she got him admitted in Shanti Avedna Sadan, a hospice. That would ease the burden on her and Bhupender would also be looked after well. The team further explained to Bhupender’s wife that in the hospice, Bhupender would be looked after at no cost and would live his remaining days/months in comfort and peace.

With the help of the home care team, Bhupender was admitted to Shanti Avedna. This brought a lot of relief to his wife since this decision took off the pressure of looking after her husband at home or the guilt of not being able to give him the best care in his last months. She appreciated the fact that the team understood her emotions, concerns, and worries and guided her accordingly.