The Center for Patient Partnerships
Self-Advocacy Tools
Family Matters
Illness can place heavy burdens on family members and caretakers. The following resources may help.
Communicating with children about illness
- Support for communicating with children about illness: Link to free resource guide "Conversations from the heart: Resources for talking to children about a parent's serious illness". Article also excerpts "Ten tips for talking with children".
Support for spouses and partners
- Support for Spousal Caregivers: Web site for "Well Spouse Association". Association's mission is to help the spousal caregiver cope with their difficult situation.
- Coping with Chronic Illness
- National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, Cancer Survival Toolbox, Caring for the Caregiver Module : Brief audio which is part of the Toolbox Module created by NCCS and developed specifically to help the cancer caregiver address the issues they face on an ongoing basis. According to NCCS "Caring for the Caregiver was developed specifically to provide resources and support for cancer caregivers to help them address the issues they face on an ongoing basis."
Building and Utilizing Support Networks
- American Cancer Society Support Programs and Services : Link to eight American Cancer Society support groups, services and events. Covers topics such as "how to build a support network" and "how to help in the fight against cancer".
- Share the Care: How to Organize a Group to Care for Someone Who is Seriously Ill: The SHARE THE CARE model provides a road map on how to take a group of individuals (e.g. friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances) and turn them into a "caregiver family" to provide individuals and families with the help they need to meet the daily challenges of care giving.
Coping with grief and loss
- What to say and not to say to a grieving person : 28 specific suggestions of what to say and what not to say.
- Coping with Loss: "Working through grief is a painful but necessary process for future emotional and physical well being"-this guide addresses important questions such as "What is grief? "Are there stages of grief?"; "How is grief different from depression?" "How can trauma affect the grieving process?" and "What will help you after a devastating loss?"
- Supporting a Grieving Person: Help for those that need to understand the grieving process so they can best help someone who is grieving.
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