Now that Covid Safety Restrictions have been lifted at my infusion center, I am once again seeing patients coming to sessions with their family or friends. One of the types of "couples" that I often see are younger family members coming with their elders (I assume grandparents; judging by the age gap and the loving dynamic of their overall interactions). From what I can see or what I can hear or what I am assuming; the accompany-er often serves in various functions.
- Some serve as translators: Literally providing the necessary English to whatever-ish ongoing narrative between the doctor/nurse and the patient
- Some serve as interpreters of acronyms or medical jargon: Adding a second set of ears for the often mind-numbing cacophony of terminology
- Some come just for moral support and to keep “abuela” company (I even recently saw a support dog who came along for a session - which brought a smile to everyone at the clinic that day - as the miniature "mutt" mate merely napped the whole time on the person's lap).
Whatever their role or function, IMHO it just seemed:
- Nice to have a family advocate there. Not as a confrontational defender, but to help with the process and post-session follow-up (from monitoring side effects to managing scheduling future appointments), and to reassure the staff that the patient has a loving support system behind them
- Nice to have companionship. It can be a long and boring appointment, and even if they just sit and watch you sleep, it can be comforting knowing that they are there to just watch over you while you sleep
- Nice to see the intergenerational respect and bonding. It may sound trite, but this kind of familial connectivity seems to be fading in our society, and to see that it still thrives is heartwarming
Cancer can be so big and overwhelming sometimes, that it really gives me the feels just to see a loving granddaughter simply holding her grandfather's hand as "they" go through a chemo session together.
