Turning Caregiver Distress into Caregiver Support

Dr. Allison Applebaum

Dr. Allison Applebaum

A recent Cancer Today article features the research of Dr. Allison Applebaum, an MSK psychologist whose work focuses on the needs of cancer caregivers.

In a study published in Oncology Nursing Forum earlier this year, Dr. Applebaum and her colleagues asked 17 caregivers to rate their levels of concern for 33 items relating to caregiving tasks, caregiver well-being and self-care, and patient well-being. Ten of the participating caregivers requested additional information on at least one area of concern, and five of the caregivers asked for one or more referrals. Dr. Applebaum is now working on a larger study aimed at using distress screenings to generate targeted caregiver referrals.