Experience of children with cancer under palliative care in a support house

Abstract

The diagnosis of cancer triggers a series of stressful and painful experiences for the child and his/her family as it involves prolonged and painful treatment. In this perspective, living in a support house becomes an option to guarantee and facilitate the access of children to curative and palliative treatment, when their families do not live near the hospital. Thus, this study aimed to understand the experience of children with cancer in palliative care in a support house in the light of Human Caring Theory. A qualitative field study carried out with eleven children, chosen by sufficiency criteria, who were hosted at the Support Center for the Child with Cancer. For the data collection, an adaptation of the technique of the story drawing was used, in which the statements were recorded and later transcribed. The analysis was done through the content analysis technique and in light of Human Caring Theory. From this, two categories emerged. These results allow concluding that play, caress, attention, and dialogue, as well as a welcoming environment, become fundamental tools in coping with the disease by the child, aiding him/her during all the experience in the support house.