For many, the initial reaction to a diagnosis of chronic illness is one of shock. When faced with the diagnosis of a chronic disease, pet owners, and indeed the whole family, may need to find ways to adjust emotionally, socially, and behaviourally. The degree of adjustment will, of course, be dependent on the signs and prognosis associated with the specific diagnosis and how far they are along that journey. The extent to which owners and their families cope post-diagnosis, can possibly be explained, at least in part, by the Crisis Theory Model (Moos, 1982).
Crisis Theory proposes that the patient (or in our case, the pet owner) needs to first begin with cognitive appraisal i.e. understanding the meaning and significance of this illness to their life / lifestyle. The outcome of this appraisal leads the owner and / or family to develop an array of adaptive tasks i.e. making changes based on the diagnosis and applying various coping skills to deal with these tasks.
For example, adaptive tasks for a pet owner might include:
- Curtailing certain lifestyle hobbies e.g. CaniCross, agility, flyball etc or simply no longer enjoying long walks at the weekend . Of course, this might extend to coming to terms with the possible loss of the social, personal fitness etc elements thereof.
- Incorporating a complicated treatment regimen into an already-busy family life, including making difficult (and sometimes divisive) decisions on whether the family is able and / or willing to entrust the wellbeing of their pet to someone else, should they wish to go on holiday.
- Maintaining a positive outlook whilst also coping with an uncertain future, in order to make the very best of the remining life together.
Coping strategies can be used to help manage thoughts, feelings and actions encountered during various stages of ill-health and treatment. There are many different types of coping strategies that can be employed some of which include:
- Denial and avoidance – Denial and / or avoidance is a strategy that can be used either positively, i.e. the owner may choose to selectively put aside their emotions temporarily in order to avoid becoming overwhelmed, to be able to function at work etc or negatively i.e. the pet owner may choose to avoid the reality of what is inevitable, leading to greater distress later on through lack of effective adaption.
- Problem-solving / information search – For some owners, actively seeking out information and / or ways to problem-solve the main stresses associated with the illness can be empowering. This is perhaps one of the strategies with the best outcome.
- Gaining a sense of control / effectiveness – Practices may be able to facilitate control being taken back by the pet owner if owners learn, for example, about what each individual medication is for, why specific medications are required, how best to administer them and what to watch out for. It might also include teaching owners how to perform simple tasks such as how to count respiration rate or take the temperature of the pet. There are many Pet Tech solutions out there to support this strategy.
- Gaining emotional support – Emotional support is also an important coping strategy. This support might come from within the family unit, a Facebook group / forum or by actively encouraging the owner to think of the practice team as partners in care.
- Considering possible future events and stressful circumstances – Some owners may take comfort and a sense of control through developing an end-of-life plan with the practice. This could include educating owners on what signs may signal the time has come and gaining acceptance that “a good death” often means not waiting too long in order to take control of it. Discussions may also include offering keepsakes such as a paw print, a lock of hair etc and finally, whether or not (bearing in mind practicalities) the pet should be buried or cremated.
So, to what extent are we helping pet owners to navigate their way through the process of cognitive appraisal, work out the adaptive tasks required and employ relevant and helpful coping strategies? Could we, perhaps, be doing more?
For a full set of references or to discuss this or any other market insight needs, please contact Mo@mogannonassociates.com or visit our website www.mogannonassociates.com
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