Resilience in Older Adults Diagnosed With Cancer and Receiving Chemotherapy

Background: Resilience is the capacity for physical and emotional recovery from stressful events like cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to review existing literature to understand and illustrate ways to assess and manage resilience when providing holistic care to older adults with cancer.

Methods: A review of the literature was conducted with a focus on assessment, management, and preservation of resilience in older adults with cancer.

Findings: Interventions to support resilience include managing problems that occur in the areas of nutrition, exercise, social support, cognition, functional status, and emotion. Cell cycle arrest using pharmacologic agents may provide a novel proactive approach to protect resilience from deteriorating during chemotherapy to treat cancer. The oncology nurse can assess and manage resilience. which can lead to better treatment outcomes.