Survivorship - The Future of Cancer Care: Survive to Thrive
As the ranks of cancer survivors have swelled to more than 12 million (approximately 4% of the population), their continuing health has attracted increasing attention from scientists, physicians and those clinicians working in preventative care.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has formed an expert committee to consider the quality of life and care of cancer survivors. The panel's report, From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition, published in 2005, acknowledged that cancer care to often ends when patients complete their initial treatments. There may be little communication between the patients' oncology teams and their primary care doctors. The IOM challenges communities to craft a "survivorship plan" to guide health care in the years following treatment.
This plan should ask clinicians to keep cancer patients healthy and strong, reducing the risk of subsequent disease and, for breast cancer survivors, recognize and treat the effects of breast cancer therapy. Many of the common late effects of cancer and its treatments include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other endocrine disorders and osteopenia/osteoporosis.
Future of the Program
Our long-term goals are to offer this series for all survivors and their caregivers.
The Community Cancer Center under the direction of the "Healthier, Happier You" team has created a survivorship program entitled, "Survive to Thrive". The series contains all the components of "Healthier, Happier You" with evidence-based guidelines for nutrition and exercise among cancer survivors. Our goal is to help these survivors create a healthy lifestyle to improve long-term survival and minimize the late effects of osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms and mid-line circumference weight gain so often seen in this population.
Economics is always a factor for survivors in prevention programs; therefore, the cost of this program has been offset by funding through The Auxiliary of Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. Our long-term goals are to offer this series for all survivors and their caregivers.
Program:
- Week 1 - Guide to a Healthy Weight & "Defensive" Eating
- Week 2 - The Lion of Nutrition: Carbohydrates!
- Week 3 - Building Step-by-Step: Protein
- Week 4 - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Fats
- Week 5 - "Mom was Right": Eat Your Fruits & Vegetables
- Week 6 - The Virtual Grocery Store
- Week 7 - "Be Flexible": Learning How to Move Your Body
- Week 8 - The New You - "Self-Image"
- Week 9 - Getting Street-Wise About Supplements!
Facilitators:
- Mary Ann Nash, MS, RD, CSO
- Sal Argento, Executive Chef
- Lindsay Beckwith, RN, MPH
- Catherine McCarthy, LCSW