Peripheral support

Doctors, nurses, hospital staff and family members are the ones who rally round the patient and undergo the stress of finance, worry and stigma when a diagnosis of tuberculosis is made. There is a need to provide care for the care givers and understand and alleviate their suffering. Children are most likely to be affected as the stress creates neglect. The community may react to tuberculosis as it would have in the past, with a sense of fear and a desire to stay away from the family.

Care giver

Doctors and nurses are continuously exposed to a variety of diseases that threaten their immunity. Long work hours in conjunction with highly demanding jobs increase the sensitivity and pose a real threat of falling ill with tuberculosis. The emotional stresses of care givers who manage tuberculosis patients with multiple problems, that complicate the treatment, add to the severe stress and high burnout. Reduced attendance, errors in care giving and failing performance at the workplace are signs of a problem at a personal level. Some care givers have an attitude of wanting to save tuberculosis patients with many complications and undergo trauma when they perceive the failure as personal.

Families

The incidence of high numbers of tuberculosis patients in an area increases the need for external help. Care givers require attention to prevent slip-ups in care. Families need to adjust to the financial requirements and changing family responsibility patterns. Tuberculosis requires to be understood by the family and the need to provide support to the patient is essential. The adults may have to reconsider roles that have been played by each of them so that dependents if any are well taken care of. An understanding and a rejection of the stigma and fear associated with tuberculosis.

Children

Children are the worst affected since the pressure of having to take care of a parent with tuberculosis leads to increased financial burden and stress on the other. The event of tuberculosis can be confusing and distressful for young children if the elders are not taken into confidence and made aware of their context. Children with the ailment have to be made to understand why they feel a certain way and that they are getting better. There is the possibility of the child being neglected due to the absence of timely care by the family and the others in the community.

Community support

The community may refer to the neighbours and friends who stay near the tuberculosis patient’s family or to the relatives who can help without getting exposed to the possibility of infection. Caring for the young ones and providing them safe surroundings allows the elders in the tuberculosis patient’s family to focus on earning and providing care. This support greatly alleviates the stress on the family and improves the quality of care provided to the patient. Volunteering at the hospital to take care of the needs of patients is another way to reduce the burden on the medical staff and reduce the scope of error in care.

Tuberculosis patients

The declaration of the presence of tuberculosis leads to a variety of reactions. Disbelief, denial, disgust, anger, fear and depression is a common cycle of feelings in patients. Societal stigma and the possibility of familial rejection may drive the patient to a feeling of despair. Tuberculosis was once a dreaded disease with a low chance of cure and high risk of spread. This is no longer the case. Modern medicine is well able to curb the bacteria and bring about a complete cure

Isolation

At the start of the treatment, isolation may be recommended if possible. Local hospitals must have the wherewithal for isolating patients and maintaining the necessary levels of hygiene. If this is not feasible, it may be preferable to consider isolation in the home with caregivers taking recommended precautions. Tuberculosis patients are taught to regulate their habits of discarding sputum and made aware of the risks of carelessness. The breath, laughter, sneezing with or without sputum can lead to the spread of the bacteria through the air. Tuberculosis patients who have been cured may be willing to isolate themselves and care for other patients. The chance of successful treatment with reduced chance of disease spread is highest with this method.

Young patients

Children who develop tuberculosis are not recommended for isolation since the strain does not produce the communicable form of the disease. Health care workers are at little or no risk when exposed to young patients with the illness. There is a risk of the parent with the possibility undetected tuberculosis posing a health risk to caregivers at hospitals. It is recommended to provide the treatment at home with care being taken to increase the cleanliness around the patient if the local hospitals do not provide the necessary standards. In case of poverty affected families where the surrounding of the child cannot be controlled by the family, institutional care is preferable for paediatric tuberculosis. This is particularly advisable if the paediatric ward has the facilities required to keep the child engaged during the course of the treatment or if there are too many members in the family.

Mobility

Tuberculosis of the bone is a situation that leads to reduced mobility for carrying out personal functions. The patient undergoes distress as physical pain and limited scope of limb movement affect personal hygiene capabilities. This form of the ailment is not virulent to the surrounding family members but can require the extension of close support to the patient. Tuberculosis minor movements, muscle relaxation during sleep and the need to shift position in the bed can be challenges for the patient. Night sleep is disturbed as pain resurges and patient care becomes physically challenging to the care givers.

Multiple disorders

The presence of pre-existing conditions like HIV or diabetes mellitus can complicate the treatment of tuberculosis. Compromised kidney functioning requiring haemodialysis may give cause for latent tuberculosis infection upsurge. The patient may complain of digestive complaints and minor issues. At times the patient appears fine and suddenly shows rapid deterioration in a few days. This is because the tuberculosis has a rapid onset and a phase of urgent multiplying activity. So much so that by the time the problem is detected, the ailment has advanced and makes the possibility of recovery appear more and more distant.