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\f0\fs24 \cf0 In regards to specific services for the caregiver, it's about doing an assessment
and figuring out, you know, exactly what those needs are. In terms of, how we can best be
of support to the patient and their family. Be it their daughter, their sister, their
wife, their spouse, whatever that looks like. And so, Tiffany and I, the other social worker
here in the cancer clinic, do provide counseling support to the caregiver as well as to the
patient in terms of just walking through with the devastation of dealing with a diagnosis.
This is the last place they thought they would be doing this at this point in time in their
life. So providing the counseling support for that caregiver relative to what's going
on with this loved one. \ \
There's also, here at Vanderbilt, a program called Hope Connection. And it's where somebody
who has been a caregiver from a past patient experience can, has been through training.
They're on a volunteer basis. It's not to provide in-depth counseling. It's peer support.
And the idea is to connect up a caregiver presently with someone who has been a caregiver
before and who has been through the training to offer that support via telephone, via email,
however that needs to look and work for those folks. Just so that they can connect with
somebody who has been there, done that. Who understand what it is to try and figure out,
"Ok, we're in this place of where we last thought we'd be in this life. We didn't sign
up for this. We didn't ask for this, but this is where we are." It's overwhelming. It's
intimidating. It's scary. It's frightening. And by no means do they want to be in this
position, but this is where their reality is. So to connect them up with somebody that
has been there, done that. To validate their fears; their unknowns; the how comes; the
why fors. And that process is very helpful in validating for those folks going through
that. They're just trying to figure out which end is up, but a lot of times it helps to
connect with somebody else who has had to be that caregiver and had to figure out that
journey as well.\ \
We have patients and families that come from near and far. So transportation is going to
be an issue. Trying to figure out what specifically do those transportation issues and needs look
like and making decisions based on those needs. Lodging. People come from Middle Tennessee,
across the state, out of state, from across the country and getting them connected up
with our lodging coordinator here in the cancer clinic. \
\ In terms of other resources they're going
to need as they come in this scary and unknown place dealing with a cancer diagnosis, the
prognosis and all of that, it also takes a toll, not only mentally and emotionally, but
also financially. Walking with folks in terms of is this the point in time for them to social
security disability or SSI. Explaining to them that there's a difference between social
security disability and social security supplemental income. They are two different things. So
talking through that process. What that may look like. Giving them the resource to connect
with another organization that works with people in providing that resource everyday,
day in and day out. My thing is I'm all about people getting the information they need,
the correct information they need so that they can make the best, informed decisions
possible. \ \
You are not walking this journey by yourself. Those referrals may come to me and the other
social worker through the physicians, through the nurses, through the check-in people, through
the nurse practitioners. They may come to us through people calling the American Cancer
Society and needing to know about what resources are out there to walk with us through this
just so that we can figure out where we take the next step.}