If you are caring for a young person living with cancer or have interest in developing skills in this area, it is important that you know about the unique psychosocial challenges that young people living with cancer may face and the supports and resources available to them. It is rare for a young adult to be diagnosed with cancer and you may not often see cancer patients in this age group. While the field of adolescent and young adult oncology is still in its adolescence, the number of publications and resources being developed annually is greatly increasing. With all of this in mind, a number of people and organizations have developed tools and resources to help you and your patients. The following can serve as accessible lifelong learning resources:
1. The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer has developed tools for primary care providers who support adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: https://www.partnershipagainstcancer.ca/topics/aya-clinical-tools/
2. Young people want to connect with others who get it! It can be really challenging to live with a rare and potentially life threatening medical condition, and being young adds unique complexities to this issue. While there are several organizations that foster young adult cancer community, Imerman’s Angels connects people one-on-one. Cancer organizations can partner with them, and they list a number of resources that can further your learnings in this area: https://imermanangels.org/
3. Young people who are living with an advanced cancer have unique needs that have not been thoroughly explored or defined. While there are limited resources available for this specific population, there are some that highlight patients’ stories and the expertise of health care providers who work in this area:
– Virtual Hospice’s livingoutloud.life features stories and content directly related to those living with a metastatic/advanced cancer: https://livingoutloud.life/
– Kids Grief is another offering from Virtual Hospice that focuses on talking with kids and teens about serious illness, dying and death: https://kidsgrief.ca/
4. In 2017, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer released a report on the unique challenges that young people diagnosed with cancer in Canada face. This resource highlights a number of important topics from oncofertility to palliative care: https://www.partnershipagainstcancer.ca/topics/adolescents-young-adults-with-cancer/
5. CancerFightClub, an initiative of Hope & Cope at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, hosts a number of published blogs on their website that range from health care providers’ perspectives to patients’ stories: https://cancerfightclub.com/blog/
6. AYA Can is a new Canadian cancer advocacy initiative in Canada that is peer-led and focused on creating an equitable and integrative system of care to improve the experiences of young people affected by cancer: https://www.ayacan.ca/
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