Embarrassing Illnesses

If you've been diagnosed with cancer, your treatment and medical care will probably be the first thing on your mind. But there are other aspects of your life to think about and it’s important to know exactly what kind of assistance is available and where you can get it.

If you're finding it hard to cope with day-to-day life,  talk about your needs with your doctor or nurse, who will refer you to a social worker. Your social worker will be responsible for assessing exactly the kind of help you need. There are so many sources of help that it’s essential to have a social worker to guide you towards the correct course.

Social services can provide assistance with meals, laundry and/or a sitting service, where someone can come to your home. For more advanced care, an occupational therapist will be able to provide a more detailed assessment of your needs at home, making life easier by arranging equipment and making adaptations to your home.

A care attendant may also be organised to come and help with housework, dressing and washing, or even just to keep you company and give your carer a break. Look into this as soon as you can, as many care attendants have waiting lists.

Social care options include:

Care attendants
Crossroads is an organisation in England and Wales that helps carers for patients by visiting homes and taking over the responsibilities of care for a while. Visit the Crossroads website at www.crossroads.org.uk (links to external site), or phone 0845 450 0350.

Meals on wheels
Contact your local council about its meals on wheels service. It will usually be able to offer financial assistance to help pay for this. Go to www.local.direct.gov.uk (links to external site) for details of your eligibility.

Benefits
You may be eligible for income support, disability living allowance or attendance allowance. Get in touch with the Benefit Enquiry Line for more details on 0800 882200 (textphone 0800 243355) or online at www.dwp.gov.uk (links to external site).

Home adaptations
Your occupational therapist will assess your home and make changes to create a comfortable and practical place to live during your treatment. This could mean anything from putting a shower downstairs to adding handrails around the house.

For more on support for patients and carers:

• Macmillan.
• Cancer Backup (both link to external sites).