Cancer Support

All the Cancer Support & Social Services You Need for the Best Quality of Life

When you choose Aurora Health Care, you know to expect the latest, most effective treatment options. But the care you receive involves much more than the therapies that target cancer directly.

Across Aurora, you can access a full range of additional support, including help with logistics and care for your mind, body and spirit. You and your loved ones should never feel alone or unsupported. Your team helps you live well, improving your quality of life at every step.

We're Here to Help

A cancer diagnosis has the potential to overwhelm you and your family. But it doesn’t have to turn out that way. Your team provides the help you and your caregivers need from the start, so you can focus on your health.

We offer:

• Financial and legal advice: Financial counselors help you understand your health insurance, medical costs and payment options. Advisors can also help you create an advance directive explaining what you want from treatment. Learn more about financial and legal issues.
• Cancer nurse navigator: Given the complexity of cancer care, it’s essential to have an advocate. The same nurse navigator works with you the whole time, explaining what to expect, coordinating your care and serving as a main point of contact. Learn more about cancer nurse navigators.
• Social services: Many people receiving cancer care have questions about work, finances, health insurance and community resources. Our social workers can help you find answers and provide the support you need.

 

Maintaining the Quality of Your Life

Cancer treatment can present its own physical and mental challenges. At Aurora, you have access to a range of services designed to protect your health and keep your spirits up:

• Art therapy: Making art can reduce stress, encourage pain relief and help process emotional experiences. Licensed, professional art therapists can guide you and your loved ones through a variety of programs. Learn more about art therapy.
• Dietary counseling: Some treatments effectively target cancer but ruin your appetite or make it harder to absorb nutrients. Keep your energy up with crafted cancer diets that meet your needs and preferences.
• Home care: When needed, nurses can visit you at home to help with your care. Learn more about Aurora at Home.
• Integrative care: You can address stress, pain, fatigue and nerve damage with holistic or complementary techniques, many of them backed by strong evidence. Options include acupuncture, massage therapy and reiki. Learn more about integrative medicine.
• Palliative care: Specialists help you with cancer symptoms and treatment side effects, as well as emotional and spiritual needs. Anyone with cancer can benefit from palliative care, even those receiving curative treatment. Learn more about palliative care.
• Rehabilitation: Physical, occupational and speech therapists help you recover after surgery. They also help prevent or treat side effects from other treatments. Evidence shows that such care can reduce pain, improve mobility and increase strength. Learn more about rehabilitation and therapy.

 

Talk to a Counselor or Find a Community

Cancer can change how you see yourself, affect your relationships and disrupt your plans for the future. Many people find comfort by talking with counseling professionals or others who have undergone treatment.

Options include:

• Counseling: Cancer can take a toll on your mental health, spiritual outlook and relationships. You can choose to meet with a counselor one-on-one, with loved ones or in groups of people with similar experiences. Learn more about cancer counseling.
• Spiritual care: Spirituality can provide great strength during cancer care. Our chaplains work with people of all faiths and beliefs. You and your loved ones can seek spiritual support and get help working through emotional and ethical challenges.
• Support groups: You and your loved ones can participate in a range of support groups. Some groups take a broad approach, while others focus on a particular cancer or a theme such as art, exercise or caregiving. Find a support group.

 

Make the Most of Your Recovery

Even after your treatment ends, you continue to receive ongoing care. Several Aurora programs provide the support and encouragement you need:

• Survivorship: Completing treatment can trigger a new set of reactions, including survivor guilt and worries about cancer returning. Some side effects may also develop after you finish treatment. Learn more about the medical and emotional care for cancer survivors we offer.
• Team Phoenix: After breast cancer treatment, women can train for a triathlon, even if they don’t have athletic experience. Volunteer coaches and medical staff provide free help with strength, endurance and flexibility. Learn more about Team Phoenix.

 

Get Additional Information

In addition to your cancer team, many websites run by other groups can provide insight and encouragement on living with cancer:

General

• CancerCare
• LIVESTRONG

Fertility

• MyOncofertility

Finances and Insurance

• Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition
• Patient Advocate Foundation

Legal and Workplace Issues

• Cancer and Careers
• Cancer Legal Resource Center
• Job Accommodation Network

Survivorship

• American Cancer Society: Cancer Survivors Network
• National Cancer Institute: Office of Cancer Survivorship
• National Cancer Institute: Facing Forward – Life After Cancer Treatment [PDF]
• National Cancer Institute: Facing Forward – When Someone You Love Has Completed Cancer Treatment [PDF]
• National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship