During open-ended interviews with Wilmot investigators, rural cancer survivors did not mince words.
One person said: “He [the surgeon] told me he wanted to operate on the next Monday, and I told him I didn’t think I could get rid of the cows that fast because I’m a dairy farmer and I had 60 cows to milk every day.”
“Our life is very centered around the animals,” a separate survivor added. “I don’t think they (providers) know that.”
Another farmer described frustration with healing after treatment: “I’d like to get back to work, but I just can’t do a lot. I was born on this farm and I kind of kept my body young. I’ve always worked, I’ve always been active. I’d like to get things done the way they were, but then when you’re 76 years old I guess that don’t happen.”
Facts Tell the Story
According to Wilmot data culled from local, state, and national statistics:
Nearly 65% of cancer survivors are 65 or older. By 2040, it is estimated that almost 50% will be age 75 or older.
Older adults often have other illnesses in addition to cancer (high blood pressure, arthritis, heart disease, for example), and experience loss of memory and cognitive issues. Many struggle to care for themselves at home. Although geriatric oncology research has exploded in recent years, much of it has excluded rural-dwelling adults.
In 2023, more than 34% of patients seeking care at Wilmot were rural residents. They live in a 27-county region that’s larger than the states of Vermont and New Hampshire combined — encompassing Rochester, the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and central New York.
Rural Cancer Patients Want More from Care Team
By conducting open-ended interviews, researchers gathered patient views on survivorship challenges with the goal of finding new ways to intervene. All people who participated in the study had taken chemotherapy during the past 12 months, with the intent to cure their cancer. Mean age of the participants was 73, and the majority had stage 3 disease, which means they could benefit from chemotherapy due to a higher risk of microscopic spread of cancer.
Several themes emerged from study participants, including a general lack of communication about survivorship with their care team, physical and psychological challenges, and worry over paying medical bills. Many said they wanted professional advice about nutrition and exercise.
Transportation was a key issue for many patients, who did not like to drive to Rochester for care and had to rely on others to get to cancer appointments, whether in the city or in their rural hometowns.
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Categories: New York, Livestock, Dairy Cattle