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The challenge of coronavirus: supporting people during lockdown | Guest Blog
We Hear You (WHY) is a small charity in Somerset that has been providing free professional counselling to people affected by cancer since founder Jill Miller installed a second phone line in her home in 1994. It’s fair to say that Jill’s act of kindness escalated: in 2019 the team of more than 30 counsellors provided over 5,000 sessions to people from age four upwards affected by cancer and life threatening conditions across Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire. In light of the recent goverment lockdown, we caught up with the Lucy from WHY to see how COVID-19 has affected their services.
"During the last couple of years, we’ve been adding new services alongside traditional one-to-one counselling in response to client feedback and the (inter)national conversation about the value of creativity, the outdoors and exercise for emotional...
Help and Support | Living With Cancer During Isolation
Both during and beyond treatment, living with cancer can be tough when your immune system is weak or suppressed, so self-isolation is something many of us are used to.
In light of recent global events, we know that for some of you, self-isolation is required more than ever to keep well and healthy. Whilst physical isolation is key, there’s no need to feel isolated mentally as there are many support services out there – whether it be someone to talk to, help and advise or ways to meditate and relax.
Cancer concerns? Practical help is at hand
When you have cancer it can touch every part of your life – physically, emotionally, practically. Often it’s the practical issues that take you by surprise.
It may be you need help at home. If you are unwell, you may not be able to manage household tasks like cleaning, cooking, caring for your children or walking the dog. Or it could be that getting around is an issue.
Often friends or family can pick up some of these practical issues for you, but not everyone has people close by that can help all the time. In this case, you may be eligible for support from your local authority or able to access a relevant local care service.
There are plenty of practical support services for cancer patients and carers listed on the Cancer Care Map and you can search for them by the Service Type. Options include: financial and welfare advice, legal advice and will writing, transport and travel, and practical help. You can also ask your local cancer information centre (usually based in or near your hospital) or your cancer care team to help you find the right people to speak to.
Here are some examples of the local and national support services that could be available to you, depending on your needs.
Travel
Whether it’s local transport to appointments or to the shops, or insurance for...