Dr. Ann O'Connor Sandgren, Clinical Health Psychologist, Roger Maris Cancer Center at Sanford Health

Dr. Sandgren always tells patients about CaringBridge. Her patients have life-limiting trauma, cancer or catastrophic diseases, complications or injuries. CaringBridge helps ease the burden of overwhelming phone calls with family and friends.

“Often patients don’t want to talk, rehash their conditions, readdress the same questions over and over again, or have unnecessary conversations,” Dr. Sandgren says. “This can cause fatigue, both emotionally and physically. CaringBridge is a therapeutic outlet for the patient to journal their thoughts and feelings. In return, they receive heartwarming messages and uplifting emotional responses from family and friends.” She adds that it not only ensures good information is communicated, but it also gives patients something to do.

New skills for older patients

“CaringBridge is a great opportunity for some to learn how to use the computer,” Dr. Sandgren says. “Our staff tells patients how they can use it to update family and friends online, and patients update their own pages.” The staff often tells patients (or their caregivers) to go to the library or the computer center in the Assisted Living facility to create or update their CaringBridge site.

A great social support tool

One of the benefits of CaringBridge is that it’s an excellent means of communication and can remind patients that they have a network of family and friends who care about them. In Dr. Sandgren’s experience, CaringBridge has proven to be an important resource for sharing with family and friends. It’s a positive emotional outlet, especially for those patients with complex medical cases and far-reaching social networks.