Supporting Cancer Patients and Their Families in the Communities Where They Live,
Work and Receive Treatment.
Take a Moment
Our lives can quickly get filled with an abundance of “things to do” and stressors that pop up at any moment. A 1978 TV commercial for a bath soak famously proclaimed “Take me away!” While no one can completely remove the nagging to-do list or repress the things that cause angst, we can take a moment for ourselves.
Pause for one moment to put everything aside, to be calm, to reset. Just close your eyes and breathe. The simple act of turning our focus and giving our body and mind a place to be calm, even for a short time, can give us new perspective and energy to tackle the challenges ahead. Give it a try.
We continue our Summer series on emotional health in this edition. Part three is below. In case you missed it, check out part one and part two. The series continues in the next several Foundation Biweekly newsletter editions.
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Social workers play an important role in the cancer experience, but what exactly do they do?
Social workers wear many hats, with two primary roles being to alleviate barriers and provide emotional support.
Many patients, caregivers, and survivors experience depression and distress. This is unchartered territory for many people to feel this way. Every six months, patients take a distress screening. Social workers are automatically consulted depending on the outcome. This enables them to intervene early and get patients the support they need.
Social workers help with:
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Facilitating crisis interventions
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Leading support groups
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Providing individual counseling to help patients process and navigate what the future looks like
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Teaching coping skills
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Referring patients to community groups for specific needs or to help with socialization
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Advocating for patients and communicating with providers to help patients understand treatment
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Addressing practical barriers to care that can induce anxiety
That support can continue after treatment concludes as well. Patients experience a loss of identity, self, purpose, fear of recurrence, questions of uncertainty, and what to do next. For example, emotional health can sometimes be more fragile after treatment ends because it feels like everyone else just moved on. However, the patient is still dealing with cancer, either with long-term side effects or adjusting to a new normal, while so much has changed. Patients may be better medically, but while everything in their life stopped to focus on treatment, they now have to figure out what life will be going forward. Social workers can help with that transition.
June 18 Register
July 2 Register
HYBRID CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
Open to anyone who is impacted by cancer, including cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and health professionals in a safe space to explore the cancer realm.
First Working Mondays
6:00 pm–7:00 pm CT
Online or in person at Texas Oncology–Paris, 3550 NE Loop 286, Paris, TX
