The Auxiliary Services

Abstract

A diagnosis of malignant disease means an upheaval in life, nothing will ever be quite the same again. Whether the patient suspects the nature of the complaint or not, his life will be narrowed down to the disease. After an intense period of activity when the diagnosis is made and therapeutic decisions are taken, there follows the comparative tedium of treatment. The mind is empty and there is time to doubt and despair, to withdraw from life. From the very nature of their work doctors and nurses regard these people as patients, and they in turn expect this attitude. To return to normal life they require rehabilitation, to be regarded as people not patients, and it is here that so many of the auxiliary workers play their part. We can none of us be all things to all men, and patients require contact with many people at many different levels both within and outside hospital if they are to rebuild their lives.