Fighting for wellness: strategies of mid-to-older women living with cancer.

A significant portion of older adult cancer patients are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM ) during and after treatment. I used four case studies to examine the strategies of older adult CAM-using cancer patients to maintain a sense of well-being as they transitioned to a post-treatment phase of life. Data were collected via qualitative interviews. Findings included strategies for financing CAM treatments, dealing with life disruption, and managing the complete nutritional overhaul recommended by their program. Participants worked to achieve new lifestyles and senses of wellness, finding ways to pay for expensive, out-of-pocket care while still meeting family obligations. These findings shed light on assumptions about older adult health-seeking behaviors, culturally embedded life course expectations, and raised questions about how the pursuit of health activities involving boundary crossings are received.