The Organizer Helps With These Tasks:

• With family input, decide on health care institution.
  Helps in organizing trips to different institutions, documents experiences.
  
  
• Gather adequate medical information to make treatment decisions.
  Takes notes during the doctor's visits and records medical information.
  
  
• Communicate needs to the medical team.
  May be helpful to make a list of what needs to be addressed to the health care team.
  
  
• Address how cancer diagnosis and treatment will affect work.
  Helps patient organize work schedule and medical visits schedule. Records appointments and schedules.
  
  
• Delegate necessary tasks and roles.
  Records the family schedule of child care arrangements and delegated tasks so all family members can refer to it.
  
  
• Determine if any current habits are contributing to ill health, like smoking, and make an action plan to address.
  Locate programs for addressing habits, like smoking cessation programs and nutrition counseling.
  
  
• If there are genetic factors involved with cancer, discuss with family and medical team.
  May need to keep track of patient and family visits for genetics services. Records results of testing and communicates to the appropriate people.
  
  
• Discuss treatment schedule with the team, your family, and work.
  Records and keeps track of schedules and appointments.
  
  
• Determine insurance coverage and negotiate with providers.
  Keeps track of bills paid and due, and discussions with providers (with date and content provided.)
  
  
• Arrange transportation to and from treatment.
  Arranges and keeps track of transportation.
  
  
• Establish system of recording important medical information.
  This is the job of the organizer.
  
  
• Understand any physical side effects of treatment and signs to look for that may indicate cancer progression.
  Keeping records of these types of symptoms can be useful data throughout the illness experience.
  
  
• Figure out your own ways of coping with the illness and treatment.
  There may be complementary strategies, like massage therapy, biofeedback, meditation or prayer that may help. Complementary therapies may require additional scheduling. Facilitating that as an organizer may be part of your role.
  
  
• Seek out other cancer patients to talk about their experiences and advice.
  It may be necessary to include support meetings in patient's schedule.
  
  
• Maintain your normal life as much as possible.
  Often normal life is hectic enough, without including the cancer patient's treatment schedule. Including time for normal activities is important.
  
  
• Seek relief from pain if present.
  Pain treatment schedules and dosages need to be recorded in the patient's personal records. That way, if pain recurs, information is available to treat it quickly and effectively.
  
  
• Exercise or walk if possible.
  Recording exercise leads to a great sense of accomplishment.
  
  
• Check out local resources for cancer patients.
  Keeping information on these programs will save the patient time.
  
  
• Concentrate on taking an active role in treatment.
  The organizer organizes only at the patient's request and consent.
  

Revised 4/7/01