Understanding cancer : a social work perspective
Copyright © 1998 Hong Kong Association of Gerontology
Abstract
Amongst the social workers who deal with cancer patients, many have a feeling that despite their effort to help, deaths of their clients inevitably result - an intense emotional pain of facing with what the social workers often considered as 'professional failure'. This partly is due to the fact that training for the caring professionals in Hong Kong, be it in social work or other allied professions, seldom deals with the social find emotional aspects of what cancer may bring to the patients and their families; and partly due to the lack of guidelines and discussions on the topic in the fields.
The aim of this paper is to summarise the author's experience with aged cancer patients, though it was base on a British experience, it should give valuable insights to social work, medical and other professions alike, as well as to their clients, in Hong Kong.