Cancer Support Team

Supporting Cancer Patients: The Evolution of In-Home Care

Cancer affects millions, with the American Cancer Society estimating that 40% of people will face a diagnosis in their lifetime. In this episode, we explore how support services have evolved to provide dignity and security for patients and their families.

We take a deep dive into the origins of cancer support teams, dating back to 1978 when forward-thinking professionals introduced in-home nursing care as a vital resource. Unlike traditional visiting nurse services, these dedicated caregivers focused on providing time, attention, and guidance—helping patients navigate medical treatments, financial challenges, and emotional struggles.

Join us as we discuss the essential role of nurses, case managers, social workers, and volunteer drivers in ensuring comprehensive care. Learn how these services empower patients, address crucial needs, and improve quality of life.

Tune in for invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of cancer care and patient support.

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:00

You've lived well, you've worked hard to make your place in this world. Your dignity and security are earned and well deserved. Or maybe you have a loved one who needs you more than ever. Well, we can help you help them plan life better. Amaruso and Amaruso.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Welcome to Eldercare on the Air, a weekly radio show with guests in the fields of eldercare, special needs, financial services, independent living, and yes, people just like you. Where we will empower you to make sound choices when you're faced with an eldercare or special needs crisis. My name is Michael Amoruso, an elder law and special needs attorney with Amoruso& Amoruso in Rybrook, New York, which services clients in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. You're at our new home, 107.1 The Peak. But I do encourage you to go onto our website, eldercareontheair.com. That's eldercareontheair.com. Click on the radio show tab you see. and just simply download the episode you'd like to listen to. You see, this show is designed to arm you with the knowledge and tools that you need to make sound choices to help you or a loved one age in place. If you have any questions or would like to hear topics on future episodes of Eldercare on the Air, please send us an email at info at eldercareontheair.com. That's info at eldercareontheair.com. We have an informative episode in store for you this week. You know, in the past on this show, we've had a couple of episodes where we focused on hospice and palliative care for individuals that may be facing a cancer diagnosis. But what we never really discussed are support services that are available for all of you out there. So I'm thrilled to help educate you by bringing a guest onto this show It's a company called the Cancer Support Team. And what they specialize is in a whole host of services to help guide you and navigate you through the process of that cancer diagnosis. So I'm thrilled to have here Tanya Weiss, who is the executive director. And later in the show, we will have Eilish McGrath, who is a nurse and director of patient services. So Tanya, welcome to our show.

SPEAKER_03 2:52

Thank you so much. I'm really delighted to be here.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Oh, it's a pleasure to have you here and a very important topic because we really haven't dived into this in all the years I've been doing this. So I thank you for coming here. Why don't you tell them a bit about the cancer support team?

SPEAKER_03 3:07

Well, it's an increasingly needed discussion, to be honest, because I think this year the American Cancer Society says that four out of 10 of us, 40% of us, will face a cancer diagnosis at some point in our lives. And if you think about that, that means that every single person you know will know someone. who's had cancer. When I have presentations or do discussions, I start by asking, who here has either had cancer or has a loved one who has had cancer that they have in their life? And I almost never don't have a hand going up. It's almost 100% every single time I do that. So this is something that, one, is much more treatable than it's ever been before. Hooray. But it's also much more

SPEAKER_04 3:53

complicated.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

So we started, cancer support team started about 45 years ago, not far from where we are right now. In Rye, in the city of Rye, at a place called Rye Radiology, and Dr. Arnold Wald was a radiologist, and one of the nurses there, a very smart lady called Gail Lee, they were very ahead of their times. And you were speaking about hospice before. Well, they were educated in the hospice world, and back in 1970, when they started Cancer Support Team, hospice was a new concept. And to be honest, back then, if you had a cancer diagnosis, the likelihood was perhaps better than not that you might need hospice care. However, today, that isn't the case. And as I said, they were very forward thinking. Their model was to send a nurse to the patient's home, but don't think of visiting nurse services. Think of an educated person who has all the time to sit and have a cup of tea with you and explain and ask questions and help you ask questions and find resources. So in that process of being in the home, that nurse is able to determine all kinds of things. First of all, do you need assistance with your medications? Do you understand who all the players are that are treating you? Do you have questions that are not being answered? Do you have enough food? Do you have the financial ability to handle the copays? Are you able to work? Do you have caregivers in your life who are able to get you to and from your treatment sessions so we are able today we have a whole array of programs nursing is our core program but we also have case managers who help find government benefits insurance and different funding sources we have a licensed clinical social worker who works with patients and with caregivers around that huge emotional aspect of a cancer diagnosis. And we have volunteer drivers who take our patients to and from their treatment. And last but not least, for our patients, we do find some funding and we offer small financial assistance grants to help people pay for things that insurance will not pay for. Oh, did I say we do all these things at no cost?

SPEAKER_01 6:32

No, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 6:33

We do not charge for these services, and I am incredibly proud of that. We are We're a nonprofit, and all that is required is that a person lives in Westchester County and has a cancer

SPEAKER_01 6:46

diagnosis. So I guess you just answered my next question is, what is your geographic scope? So it's Westchester County.

SPEAKER_03 6:52

Well, most of Westchester County. Up until just a year ago, right around now, we had only been serving people who lived in southern Westchester County. Now, that is the majority of the population. However, because we started down here. We started seeing our patients just north of 287 all the way up to like Mount Kisco and Bedford and Somers and areas like that. But Peekskill, which is really at the northern part of the county, unfortunately, we're not quite there yet, but hopefully pretty soon.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

Now, where are you actually located?

SPEAKER_03 7:33

So our offices are here in Purchase off of 287 and right around the corner from your offices as well, so it's really close by. However, most of the time, our clinical staff, and that's seven nurses, two case managers, and a licensed clinical social worker, go either to the patient's home or they meet them in the community. They may meet them at their cancer treatment location or they may meet them at the local library or the Dunkin' Donuts or wherever it is most convenient for that cancer patient.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Now, later in the show, we are going to have Eilish in here to really give us a hands-on feeling of what it's like to be one of those patients that you do service. But in essence, what do you think the core mission is for you?

SPEAKER_03 8:25

So... The actual stated mission is to enhance the lives of cancer patients and their family members who live in Westchester County. What that translates into is sometimes to be an educator. sometimes to be a shoulder to lean on sometimes to be a person who has a knowledge base that can be shared and that the patient really really benefits from in a non-medical space so that the patient doesn't have that white coat anxiety First of all, when you hear the words, you have cancer. And gratefully, I've never had to hear that myself. But nonetheless, it's not unusual for your brain to kind of shut down. That's your body's own defense mechanism. And so even though the medical team and the doctors are trying very hard to help you understand and what the process is going to be and what's going to come first and next, et cetera, first of all, they are very rushed. There's lots of people with cancer these days, and they have a lot of people to see. And even if they want to spend a lot of time, maybe don't get to spend as much time as they'd like. And then secondly, you're really not in intake mode. So it's important that we are there as an extension of that medical team. And most of our referrals indeed do come from the major cancer centers here in Westchester.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

You know, that's interesting that you mentioned that. When would be the best time for someone to reach out to you?

SPEAKER_03 10:02

After diagnosis. Okay. When you know what's going on. and are able to have one of our clinical staff come into your life and sort of make sure you're understanding things and are able to help make the decisions that are going to be very important and be a full partner with your medical team. The more knowledge you have and the better you feel about what's being told to you because you're understanding it, the more able you are to ask a question and get the answer that you need.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

And you mentioned a few minutes ago that the major cancer centers tend to refer out to you. Now, are they selective as to who they send your way, or is it pretty much anyone that has this diagnosis will be told of your services?

SPEAKER_03 10:51

So, again, I'm not in the room when they're telling that information, but I think it depends on the situation, and this is why. Some people have a wonderful support team around them of their own. They have family members, or they have close friends who perhaps have been down this road before. And so they are there to help them find the guidance and get the information from friends or family who are related to them or not, but are there for them. And I'm guessing that that individual could use our services but doesn't need us as much as others. Others absolutely are not aware of even words like benign or malignant or are not familiar with staging of cancer or the different roles that different people play. There's a lot of different types of treatment. There's immunotherapy and chemotherapy and targeted therapy, et cetera. And even a person who has a good working knowledge of the medical world may not know what those situations are so for sure our type of non it's less frightening we're not sitting in a medical facility we're trying to make sure that you are able to not only have the knowledge base but advocate for yourself and then all the other aspects as we were mentioning before the emotional component the financial component the way you view yourself your relationships with your family Friends and family, all of those kinds of things certainly come into play.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

So I guess for those of you that are out there, there's a message here that's important for you to hear. I'm hearing it here sitting with you in the room. That's if you happen to be alone and you're given this diagnosis, don't be afraid to ask, is there somebody you can refer me to to help me process this? before I start making decisions.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

100% correct. For that matter also, we're very helpful to the caregivers. I'm certain in your line of work that you're often working not only with an older person, but you're working with the family.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

It's a whole team.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

Exactly. Correct. And we see it the same way. And so many is the time that the patient, him or herself, is pretty okay, but the adult children are not. And I can tell you that our licensed clinical social worker sees plenty of adult children in her practice because, first of all, we have a great knowledge base in terms of all things cancer. And things that we don't know, we know who to ask.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

So how does somebody get in touch with you?

SPEAKER_03 13:43

Well, for starters, we're on the internet, of course. Cancersupportteam.org is the easiest way. And if not, then you would call our offices, 914-777-2777. And we have bilingual, almost all our services, by the way, are offered in both English and in Spanish. And our, I wouldn't, I don't even want to call them our administrative assistants because there's so much more than that. They are the first line of contact often for a cancer patient calling, and they are very empathetic and sincere and understanding and excellent at taking the information needed for one of our registered nurses to then get back to the cancer patient or family.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Excellent. And you mentioned you're a not-for-profit.

SPEAKER_03 14:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

I assume that you need funds. Oh, yes. So if there's a member of the audience out there that wants to help out the cancer support team, what do they do?

SPEAKER_03 14:48

Well, again, the donate button on our website is always a really good way. But we are always looking for family foundations or for individuals. I think when we started, we probably received most of our funding from our cancer patients. Today, while we do receive, and I am always grateful for every donation. The vast majority are coming from grants that we are writing to try to obtain from foundations, from events, Swim Across America, which is another non-profit that does open water and pool swims around the country. The largest one takes place in Larchmont, Mamaroneck, and we are a recipient of some of their funds, which is really excellent. And of course, major donors and individuals. And we cobble together every year. I'm amazed. But yes, we very much are grateful for every donation that we get.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Excellent. Well, we're going to take a quick commercial break. But before we do, a couple of things. One, Ailish is going to come talk to us all here about some personal experiences that she has with your patients. What can the audience expect?

SPEAKER_03 15:59

So I think that every, first of all, we figure out the needs of each individual. So this isn't sort of like, oh, I have a sore throat. That person needs this type of antibiotic, right? It's very, very much what's the biggest need in that household right now? And sometimes it's education about why do I feel this way when I take this medication? And other times it's, I don't know how I'm going to put food on the table next week. Sure. And so, you know, it depends on the situation, of course. Eilish, who is the director of patient services, oversees six other nurses and so, and two case managers. So she has knowledge of so many different kinds of cases, and I know she will have lots of information.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Very good. And if you missed any part of this episode, just log on to our website at eldercareontheair.com. That's eldercareontheair.com. We'll be back in a few moments.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

Amoruso and Amoruso LLP advises clients on how to obtain public benefits, including Medicaid, and more importantly, how to protect and preserve their assets, whether they be modest or significant. Find Amoruso and Amoruso online at eldercareontheair.com. Amoruso and Amoruso, a 107.1 The Peak Ask the Expert partner.

SPEAKER_05 17:21

Amoruso and Amoruso, empowering you to care for the ones you love.

SPEAKER_01 17:31

Welcome back to Eldercare in the Air. I'm Michael Amoruso, and again, I'm thrilled to be here with Cancer Support Team. You know, for those of you that may have missed the portion of this episode, over the years, we've spent a few shows dealing with hospice and cancer, but we've never really talked about support group or services or advocacy that's available out there to help guide you through the process. That's one of the reasons why we have the Cancer Support Team here today, to help educate you on that aspect of dealing with a cancer diagnosis. Earlier in the show, we had Tanya Weiss, who is the Executive Director of the Cancer Support Team, but now I want to really bring you into what it's like to be a patient. So I've got Ailish McGrath here. Ailish, welcome to our episode. Thank you, Michael. It's a pleasure to have you here. So why don't you first educate them as to what you do for the Cancer Support Team, and then let's dive into some stories about how you navigate the patients. Okay? Go for it.

SPEAKER_02 18:37

So the main part of our program at Cancer Support Team is would be our nursing services. And that's typically where we start with patients. So our nurses are all RNs. We go out to the home. We sit not just with the patients, but with their family members also. And we really focus on educating them about what this diagnosis means. What are the treatments they're going to be receiving? What are some of those common side effects they may experience? And how is the best way that they can manage them? So we're often meeting them before they have that first initial treatment. So we're really getting them prepared for what to expect and what they're going to do if they have these side effects. We're also there to kind of hold their hand throughout the course of treatment and be a knowledgeable clinician who can help them understand why certain medications are ordered or why certain tests are ordered or why they're experiencing these side effects.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

What about just the general roadmap of, okay, I have this diagnosis. What's next? What do I need to be thinking of? You're there holding their hands from the beginning, right?

SPEAKER_02 20:04

Exactly, exactly. And we're there to stay with them throughout the course of treatment. And even after their treatment ends, we just kind of don't say, oh, you know, everything is completed now. We'll see you later. We continue with them until they get to the point of at least their first or second follow-up scan.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

Excellent. Well, let's bring the audience into a day in the life of your organization. What typically happens? Do you get a phone call? So what

SPEAKER_02 20:38

typically happens is we get a phone call. And phone calls come from many different people. It may be the patient. that's calling themselves. It may be a family member or a friend, or it may be a nurse, a social worker, a patient navigator from some of the local cancer centers here in the county. So it's a very simple process. We gather some information. then the first thing is we contact the patient and either myself or one of the other nurses that is helping me with new patient intakes. We will kind of talk to patients about basically what's going on. How did you come to be diagnosed?

UNKNOWN 21:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

When are you starting treatment? Do you understand the treatment you're getting? And we're just really trying to gather some information on how best we can help them. Because it's not just the nursing education and support. Maybe they're struggling emotionally. Well, we have a licensed clinical social worker on staff, and that's what her role is. She does one-on-one counseling, not only with our patients, but with their family members too, if they're struggling because a cancer diagnosis doesn't just affect the one person. No,

SPEAKER_01 22:06

it's a shock to the whole village.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

Absolutely. Absolutely. So we want to make sure that we are really helping the entire family unit. We also ask, how are things financially? How do you feel your medical insurance is? Because we have case managers that we can get involved. So maybe we can help a patient and their family apply for Medicaid if they meet the criteria. Food stamps, or there may be other grants or resources out there that they may qualify for, so we want to help them. For instance, if they qualify for Social Security Disability, we would help them complete that application.

SPEAKER_01 22:55

Now, let me ask you this. Obviously, in this day and age, cancer treatment has blossomed. There are so many success stories that are happening from cancer, but sometimes there are still not. If course of treatment gets to a point, do you also counsel the family if the word hospice comes up?

SPEAKER_02 23:19

Absolutely. That has been a big part of what we do also. You know, with so many of the advances in cancer treatment, it's really wonderful because we are seeing patients live very full lives longer and And because our services are free, we are able to follow our patients for years and years at a time if that's helpful for them. And then because of that, sometimes we are with our patients when it's coming near the end of their cancer journey. And we do have those conversations with them about hospice. I always say they're very difficult conversations to have, but they're really, really important conversations to have.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

Absolutely. It gives them dignity at that time of life.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Absolutely, yes. And then there's different types of hospice programs. You know, there's inpatient hospice, and then there's several home hospice programs here in the county. So we want to make sure that they understand what their options are.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

So, Ailish, why don't you tell the audience... about a story that really has warmed your heart from a patient where you see the success of what you have to offer as a service to the public.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

So I have so many stories that come to mind as I'm entering my 15th year with Cancer Support Team. But one story that's always at the forefront is, oh, it must have been about seven or eight years ago, I was contacted to go see a patient because the healthcare team were a little bit concerned. He was on an oral chemotherapy that required a steroid to be taken with it. He had metastasis to his bones, so had a tremendous amount of pain and had both long-acting and short-acting pain medications ordered. The issue was he was not taking his medications properly, and they couldn't understand why. So they called and asked me to go out to the home and meet with him, which I did, and came to find out that he was illiterate, and he didn't feel comfortable letting them know that. So he didn't understand how to take his medication. Wow. So I said, okay, we're going to figure this out. And I went back to the office to kind of brainstorm how I was going to do this. And I created a pictorial medication chart and I used different colored stickers. So let's say one of the medications had to be taken with food in the morning. So I had a picture of eggs and bacon on a plate and I put like the color a sticker a green sticker next to that and then a green sticker on the medication bottle and I did that with all of the medications we went through it several times he verbalized to me that he understood it and lo and behold he began taking his medications correctly so not only was he taking his oral chemo and and the steroid correctly, but after a few days of taking his pain meds, he was no longer in pain.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

Oh, wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

And I followed him for the next almost three years and he continued to understand how to take his medications properly.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

That's a heartwarming story. Good for you for coming up with that system. Thank you. That's wonderful. So, Tell me again how the audience can find the cancer support team.

SPEAKER_02 27:33

So it's very easy. You can just pick up the phone and call us. It's 914-777-2777. Or you can find us on the web. It is cancersupportteam.org. And there's an online form that you can complete. that we'll get an email and then someone will reach out to you.

SPEAKER_01 27:59

Outstanding. Eilish, I thank you for coming here.

SPEAKER_02 28:02

Oh, thank

SPEAKER_01 28:03

you so much, Michael. It was a pleasure to have Tanya here as well. And you do great work out there. It's very clear. So the message here, folks, whether you have a support group around you or a village around you or not, you don't need to deal with a cancer diagnosis on your own. If you have an organization like the Cancer Support Team, you can reach out to. And Ailish, you'll be there for the whole process for them. To give them the education they need, help them make the sound decisions they need to make, that's in their best interest. But most importantly, you don't need to go at this alone. So I want to thank you all for joining us this week. If you missed any part of this episode, just log on to our website at eldercareontheair.com. That's eldercareontheair.com. And I will talk to you all next week. Thank you

SPEAKER_05 28:56

and be well.

SPEAKER_00 29:06

Amoruso and Amoruso LLP and Rye assists clients with comprehensive estate planning and vital asset preservation tools that reduce financial risks of long-term care. Amoruso and Amoruso, a 107.1 The Peak Ask the Expert partner. Visit eldercareontheair.com for more details.