To learn more

More information from your American Cancer Society

Here is more information you might find helpful. You also can order free copies of our documents from our toll-free number, 1-800-227-2345, or read them on our website, www.cancer.org.

Dealing with advanced cancer

Hospice Care (also in Spanish)

Pain Control: A Guide for Those With Cancer and Their Loved Ones (also in Spanish)

Advance Directives

Distress in People With Cancer

Talking With Friends and Relatives About Your Cancer (also in Spanish)

Talking With Your Doctor (also in Spanish)

Advanced Cancer (also in Spanish)

Bone Metastasis (also in Spanish)

For caregivers and loved ones

Listen with Your Heart (also in Spanish)

What it Takes to Be a Caregiver

What You Need to Know as a Cancer Caregiver

Caring for the Patient With Cancer at Home: A Guide for Patients and Families (also in Spanish)

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (also in Spanish)

Home Care Agencies (also in Spanish)

Coping With the Loss of a Loved One (also in Spanish)

Helping children cope

Helping Children When a Family Member Has Cancer: Dealing With a Parent’s Terminal Illness

Helping Children When a Family Member Has Cancer: Understanding Psychosocial Support Services

Helping Children When a Family Member Has Cancer: When a Child Has Lost A Parent

Insurance and financial issues

Advanced Illness:Financial Guidance for Cancer Survivors and Their Families

Coping Financially With the Loss of a Loved One: Financial Guidance for Families

Health Insurance and Financial Assistance for the Cancer Patient (also in Spanish)

Books

Your American Cancer Society also has books that you might find helpful. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 or visit our bookstore online at www.cancer.org/bookstore to find out about costs or to place an order.

National organizations and websites*

Along with the American Cancer Society, other sources of information and support include:

Compassion and Choices
Toll-free number: 1-800-247-7421
Website: www.compassionandchoices.org

For local referrals to pain specialists, hospice programs, and other resources; offers patients assistance in completing living wills and advance directives, and in talking to families, friends, and health care providers about health care wishes

CancerCare
Toll-free number: 1-800-813-4673
Website: www.cancercare.org

Provides free professional support groups and individual counseling services by phone and online to people with cancer, caregivers, loved ones, and the bereaved.

Family and Medical Leave Act (US Department of Labor)
Toll-free number: 1-866-487-9243
TTY: 1-877-889-5627
Website: www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/index.htm

Has information on the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), which helps people keep jobs and health insurance while taking time off to care for themselves or loved ones

Family Caregiver Alliance
Toll-free number: 1-800-445-8106
Website: www.caregiver.org

Provides information and resources on long-term caregiving; searchable resource feature on their website provides information on publicly funded and private caregiver support programs in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia

National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA)
Toll-free number: 1-800-896-3650
Website: www.thefamilycaregiver.org

Website and quarterly newsletter offer can-do advice, helpful resources and stories about family caregivers, and a bereavement kit for when members are no longer caregivers, to help them deal with their loss and move on with their lives

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)
Toll-free number: 1-800-658-8898; in Spanish 1-877-658-8896
Website: www.nhpco.org

Provides information about hospice programs in your area; also publishes information for consumers and has frequently asked questions on their website

Hospice Education Institute
Toll-free number: 1-800-331-1620
Website: www.hospiceworld.org

Offers information about caring for the dying and the bereaved; maintains a directory of hospice and palliative care programs in the United States; and provides general information about good hospice care

Hospice Foundation of America (HFA)
Toll-free number: 1-800-854-3402
Website: www.hospicefoundation.org

Acts as an advocate for hospice care by conducting public education and information; lists hospices by geographical area, which is available at www.hospicedirectory.org

Hospice Net
Website: www.hospicenet.org

Provides information and support to patients facing life-threatening illnesses and to their families and friends; also can help find a local hospice

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) -- HHS
Toll-free number: 1-877-267-4227
TTY: 1-877-486-2048
Website: www.cms.hhs.gov (or for just Medicare info: www.medicare.gov)

Answers questions about how to apply for Medicare, Medicaid, disability, or survivor benefits, and also answers questions about coverage for all Medicare recipients

Medicare Rights Center (MRC)
Toll-free number: 1-800-333-4114
Web site: www.medicarerights.org

Fact sheets and basic information and explanations of Medicare rights and benefits

Social Security Administration (SSA)
Toll-free number: 1-800-772-1213
TTY: 1-800-325-0778
Website: www.socialsecurity.gov

Has general information, qualification criteria, and information about how to apply for program benefits (such as Social Security Disability Income and Supplemental Security Income if you cannot work); makes referrals to local SSA and Medicare/Medicaid offices

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)
Toll-free number: 1-800-677-1116
Website: www.n4a.org

To find agencies with local support services for older people with cancer, see their online Eldercare Locator

Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA)
Telephone number: 703-548-5558
Website: www.mowaa.org

Search for a local source of home-delivered meals for disabled or homebound people. Costs/fees vary depending on age and geographic location. Learn more from the Meals on Wheels program in your area

American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI)
Telephone number: 202-624-2000
Website: www.acli.com

Offers information on financial security, with links to state government life insurance departments. Also online, “Living Benefits from Life Insurance,” describes how policy owners with a terminal illness can accelerate their life insurance benefits.

No matter who you are, we can help. Contact us anytime, day or night, for information and support. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.