The Irish Cancer Society is a community of patients, survivors, volunteers, supporters, health and social care professionals and researchers. Together we work to transform the experiences and outcomes of people affected by cancer through our advocacy, support services and research.
Cancer affects all areas of a person’s life, including finances. Many people with a cancer diagnosis find their income is reduced and they have extra expenses to pay, such as travel costs and medication. It is hard to cope with financial difficulties, especially if you are worried about your health or are not feeling well, but the Irish Cancer Society has a team determined to provide support and assistance at this time.
Within our Services department, the Irish Cancer Society has a team specialised in providing support in all practical and financial matters that may arise after a cancer diagnosis. This free service is provided by our Welfare and Supports Team, and it is available to anyone affected by cancer, including not only the cancer patient, but their family and friends as well.
We strive to keep service users at the centre of all our services. When one of our Welfare Officers contacts you, they will listen to you and focus on your needs, provide information, support and assistance in any way we can. We are also offering free online Webinars on different matters that are relevant to service users such as applying for medical cards and benefits.
In assisting our service users, we find that each case is different, some people need to find information on entitlements and benefits, others wish to gain support in telling their employer about their cancer diagnosis and others need assistance in finding resources to cover different needs such as travelling for treatment or accessing aids, these are just some of the examples of cases that our team deals with.
We can also act as advocates for patients and their families who may need extra support after a diagnosis. This might include for example having a Welfare Officer present when discussing your diagnosis with your employer or attending meetings with your financial provider to help them understand your diagnosis. We also liaise with other organisations to find the support you need. We endeavour to listen and provide solutions and recommendations to all welfare needs our service users have.
When a service user requires legal assistance about certain matters related to their cancer diagnosis, we can refer them to our free legal clinics. We have partnered with Community Law & Mediation to provide this free service and one of our Welfare Officers can refer you.
Service users who have accessed our service have said:
“The system is overwhelming enough without the burden of cancer, having someone from the Welfare Team on my corner made all the difference.”
“The officer appointed to my case found many resources that I was not aware of, shared all the information with me and assisted me in applying. Accessing this service has really helped in a time of need.”
To access our Welfare and Supports service, please contact our nurses at the Irish Cancer Society Support Line by calling the free number 1800 200 700 or speaking to one of our nurses at any of the Daffodil Centres across the country. Our Irish Cancer Society nurses will be able to refer you to our Welfare and Supports team and one of our officers will contact you soon after that. Our nurses in the Support Line or Daffodil Centres can also refer you to other services within the Survivorship team such as Peer Support, Counselling and Diet webinars for cancer patients.