Group Cognitive Rehabilitation for Cancer Survivors: Enhancing Cognitive Function and Quality of Life

Group Cognitive Rehabilitation for Cancer Survivors:
Enhancing Cognitive Function and Quality of Life
Enhancing
Cognitive
Function
and
Quality
of
Life
Alana Schuurs DPsych(Clin) & Heather J Green PhD
School of Applied Psychology & Behavioural Basis of Health
Research Program, Griffith Health Institute
Griffith University Gold Coast Australia
Griffith
University
,
Gold
Coast
,
Australia
ICCTF I t ti l C iti & C T kf C f
ICCTF
I
n
t
erna
ti
ona
l
C
ogn
iti
on
&
C
ancer
T
as
kf
orce
C
on
f
erence
Paris, France 15-17 March 2012

Cognitive Function After Cancer
• Problems with cognitive functions such as attention and memory are
increasingly recognised as an issue for some cancer survivors
increasingly
recognised
as
an
issue
for
some
cancer
survivors
(Oxman & Silberfarb, 1987; Vardy et al., 2007; Vearncombe &
Pachana, 2009).
• Both objective and subjective deficits have been found, but
subjective deficits often show a closer relationship with emotional
distress than with objective tests of cognitive function (Cull et al.,
1996).
• A promising treatment is cognitive rehabilitation (CR), which has the
potential to improve both objective and subjective dysfunction as well
ti l di t (B tl & M lh 2005 F t l 2007
as emo
ti
ona
l
di
s
t
ress
(B
u
tl
er
&
M
u
lh
ern,
2005
;
F
erguson e
t
a
l
.,
2007
;
Gabanelli, 2005; Meyers, 2000).
ICCTF International Cognition and Cancer ICCTF International Cognition and Cancer TaskTask Force Force ConferenceConference March 15March 15--17 17 thth 2012 2012 ––PARIS PARIS --FRANCEFRANCE

Proposed Model (Green et al., 2005,
Psychology,
Proposed
Model
(Green
et
al.,
2005,
Psychology,
Health and Medicine)
ICCTF International Cognition and Cancer ICCTF International Cognition and Cancer TaskTask Force Force ConferenceConference March 15March 15--17 17 thth 2012 2012 ––PARIS PARIS --FRANCEFRANCE

Conflicting Perspectives/Emphases
Researchers Patients
“Mild”, “subtle”
Objective
Functional outcome
Subjective
A
bsolute deficits Relative deficits
ICCTF International Cognition and Cancer ICCTF International Cognition and Cancer TaskTask Force Force ConferenceConference March 15March 15--17 17 thth 2012 2012 ––PARIS PARIS --FRANCEFRANCE