Introduction
 

For people diagnosed with cancer, an oncology social worker is an important member of the health-care team. An oncology social worker provides services, such as counselling, education, and information and referrals to community resources, including support groups. An oncology social worker often acts as a liaison between people with cancer and the medical team, and helps people find ways to navigate the health-care system. He or she works with the medical team to make sure people with cancer get the information they need to make informed choices about their care, and the support needed to manage the day-to-day challenges of living with cancer.

 

Service Delivery
 

An oncology social worker is a university-trained professional who has specialised skills in how a diagnosis of cancer affects a person and his or her family and friends. An oncology social worker understands that there are many aspects of a person’s life outside of cancer, and that cancer affects each person in a different way. The oncology social worker's expertise is a comprehensive view of the person living with cancer that is respectful of each individual's ethnicity, spirituality, family situation, unique strengths and challenges; it is his or her job to represent a person's interests and needs to the medical team. For most people, a cancer diagnosis brings with it new feelings and experiences. Talking to a professional who has helped other people manage similar situations may help a person find ways to improve quality of life, manage fears, and find hope. A social worker talks to people about the different aspects of adjusting to the cancer, and helps find strategies to adapt to, and manage health-care concerns. This can happen through individual, couples and family counselling, and/or referrals to support groups or community agencies that have additional support programs.
 

 

An oncology social worker has experience in cancer treatment, as well as in how treatments affect people living with cancer. Many people with cancer find that information that may have been easy to read and absorb in a textbook is much more difficult to understand when it pertains to their own health. A social worker helps gather the information people need to make decisions about their care. He or she may arrange a family meeting with the medical team, at which people's care and treatment options may be discussed. A social worker can also refer people to additional educational resources and to community organisations that have information about cancer and treatment.
 

Role Changes
 

People may wonder how their parents, children, friends, and colleagues will react to their cancer, and how they will feel about that reaction. People may also wonder if there will be changes in their ability and desire to keep up with the many responsibilities of their life, such as a demanding job, taking care of young children, or helping an older parent. A social worker can arrange a meeting to talk about how those roles and responsibilities might change, and about what kind of support he or she wants and needs while going through treatment.

Relationships
 

People living with cancer may have questions about how their treatment will affect their relationship with their spouse or significant other. One part of this relationship is sexual intimacy. People may have questions about whether there will be any changes in their abilities and desires; a social worker can help find those answers.In addition, he or she can provide couples counselling, during which people with cancer and their partners may talk about the emotional changes they are going through, how they want to handle those changes, and what kind of support they want from each other and from other people.
 

An oncology social worker helps people connect to the resources they need to better negotiate the health-care system and access the support they need. For some people, this involves a referral to Centrelink, Insurance and Superannuation schemes or financial management advice. For others, it means learning about support groups or being referred to Carer’s support agencies.

 

Oncology Social Workers have completed a tertiary degree in social work from an accredited university as well as several years of additional training in cancer care through continuing education and on-the-job experience. An oncology social worker is available to provide the confidential support and resources people want to help manage their cancer in a way that is respectful of their individual needs and wishes and is eligible to become a member of the Association of Australian Social Workers.

OSWA is dedicated to providing information about resources & services to assist with the challenges that a diagnosis of cancer presents to you and your family. We hope that you will take advantage of the services of an oncology social worker to acquire useful information about how to cope with the feelings and issues associated with dealing with cancer and treatment. A diagnosis of cancer brings with it confusion, fear, anxiety and a sense of upheaval. Everyone has to become familiar with unfamiliar terms/words, medical information which may be overwhelming and drastic changes to ones everyday reality and maybe the future. Issues, problems that you have never faced before, like explaining your diagnosis to your children, dealing with changes to income or how to deal with your employer or studies are examples.

An oncology social worker, working along-side many families coping with cancer, has skills, information and resources that may make those tasks more manageable for you, so that some of your time & energy can be focused on dealing with cancer and its treatment.

You may require assistance to helping you understand and navigate the health system and your various treatment centres. Transport to treatment is one such example. An oncology social worker can also assist with applying for Centrelink benefits eg. sickness allowance, disability benefits, carers payments if you need to temporarily or permanently stop working while undertaking treatment or when treatment is completed.

Knowing how to cope or manage with a new situation is difficult; when cancer is also part of this crisis, asking for help or advice is an intelligent thing to do in order to preserve all of your energy to deal with your cancer treatment.

Community services can be valuable aids in getting through the day to day challenges facing you and your family.

Ask for a referral to an oncology social worker if you are having difficulty getting the services you need.