continuum
support
centred
Our social workers/nurses reach out to provide personalised, family-based, community support for patients and their caregivers along different stages of the cancer continuum. Services include telephone counselling, home visits, hospital outreach support, integrative body-mind-spirit programmes, purchase of community services (i.e. Chinese medicine, counselling, dietary, physiotherapy, home help, escort service, etc.) Same social worker/nurse will follow up the family for 4-9 months depending on their situation. All services are free of charge.
Refer NowOur Holistic Support include
- Personalised care and nutrition tips
- Integrative body-mind-spirit programmes
- Talks
- Online latest cancer related information
- Survivors/Caregivers sharing
- Phone counseling and outreach visit
- Volunteer comfort call
- Consultation from clinical psychologist
- Local support group meetings
- Family outdoor activities
- Outreach support to Out-patient Department / Connect with community
- Professional consolation (Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dietitian, Physiotherapy, etc.)
- Refer to community resources / Charity programmes
- Rehabilitation and Nutrition products
- Refer to escort service, home help, transportation assistance, etc.
Past Related Research Reports
HKU Study: Significant Improvement in Distress Levels, Family Problems, and Negative Emotions
The program commissioned the Centre on Behavioral Health at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to conduct a study. Through questionnaires and focus group interviews with participating cancer patients and their caregivers, data revealed that after receiving the program's intervention services, cancer patients showed significant improvements in their distress levels, family problems, and negative emotions. Furthermore, the psychological well-being scores of the caregivers also increased.
The research team pointed out that cancer patients generally feel anxious and helpless upon diagnosis. However, because Chinese people are typically more reserved and less likely to actively seek help, the pre-intervention baseline scores were slightly lower (compared to foreign studies). During the early stages of the intervention, participants already demonstrated significant improvements in distress levels and family problems. By the later stages of the intervention, participants learned to release emotional stress through body-mind-spirit counseling and other methods, which was reflected as a significant improvement in the data.
Additionally, during the focus group interviews, some caregivers reflected that continuous companionship-style support is crucial. This is believed to be because Chinese people are not accustomed to seeking help or discussing their personal problems, thus requiring a longer period to build trusting relationships with others.
HKU believes that the program effectively addresses the service gap caused by the relatively weak family support networks in Hong Kong. Through medical-social collaboration, the program allows cancer patients and their caregivers to deeply appreciate the importance of timely support. Many participants also expressed a desire to carry this spirit forward by engaging in volunteer services to support other families affected by cancer, thereby bringing positive changes to cancer survivorship care.