Pretoria - The Cancer Association of South Africa is celebrating Cansa Care Month in August to highlight its service offerings.
The association provides practical and psychosocial care and support to help manage the physical and emotional impact that cancer has on cancer survivors (patients and those in remission), their loved ones and caregivers.
Gerda Strauss, the head of services, said: “Cansa is dedicated to supporting those affected by cancer, in their communities, because we want to ensure that they don’t have to face this alone and that they are given knowledge and resources to be able to cope while living with cancer.”
She said Cansa was pleased to announce its new initiative, information and support desks, at public hospitals.
“Run by staff and trained volunteers, we provide information to patients and help them with referrals to support groups, tele-counselling, clinical counselling and other services,” Strauss said.
Cansa has an Information and Support Desk at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg, at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Academic Hospital in Durban and at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.
Further approval has been received to have more at Klerksdorp Hospital and Universitas Hospital (Free State). Cansa hopes to expand the service to other parts of the country soon.
Cansa has also developed a series of “Coping with Cancer” posters, sponsored by Pfizer, which will soon be distributed to the information and support desks, public hospital oncology wards, public clinics and Cansa care centres across South Africa.
They are available in English, Afrikaans, Sotho, Tswana, Xhosa and Zulu.
Dr Duvern Ramiah, the clinical and academic head of department: Radiation Oncology at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, said: “Cansa is providing an amazing service to the Radiation Oncology patients at Charlotte Maxeke.
“Their information and support desk at the unit provides our patients with much-needed practical material and psychological support to manage the physical and mental toll which both the cancer and the treatment takes.
Cansa would continue to offer free emotional support to patients, caregivers and loved ones in the form of a tele-counselling service, a variety of support groups and Facebook support groups.
Free online support resources are also available from the Cansa website.
Cansa’s clinical specialist nurses continue to offer free advice to patients and caregivers regarding the side effects of the various types of cancer, as well as advice on treatment, nutrition, pain management and palliative care.
It also arranges tele-stoma consultations for patients battling to adjust to having a stoma or dealing with stoma-related difficulties. The service are through the stoma clinics.
The national Cansa Help Desk provides online support via the toll-free line, 0800 22 66 22, email; info@cansa.org.za and multi-lingual WhatsApp lines; 072 197 9305 for English and Afrikaans and 071 867 3530 for Xhosa, Zulu, Swati, Sotho and Tswana.
Pretoria News