In early 2019 Oregon Cancer Foundation (OCF) received a $10,000 grant from the OSHU Knight Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program to help identify and address the needs of cancer caregivers in Lane County.
“The reality is that cancer affects more than the person diagnosed with the disease,” says Oregon Cancer Foundation Executive Director Amy Johnston. “Caring for a family member or friend with cancer can be a stressful and overwhelming experience. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of support and educational resources available to caregivers in our community.”
“Often, it’s their village that goes through the experience with them—their family members and friends who are caring for them. If we can identify what types of resources they need and then provide a roadmap on how and where to access that support, we can make the caregiving experience a little easier,” she says.
A call to action
Oregon Cancer Foundation (OCF) is looking for caregivers in Lane County to participate in a survey to help the foundation better understand the needs of caregivers in our community. OCF is hoping to survey at least 300 people.
Once the results of the survey have been analyzed, OCF will determine next steps to create programs and resources to help caregivers in our community.
“We may discover that we can formulate a program or pieces of a program aimed at addressing specific issues, either with existing funding or additional grants,” Johnston says. “Or, it might be that some of our partners in the community are in a better position to do that. By working together, we’re pooling our expertise in finding the best solutions.”
Get involved
The survey includes about 30 questions and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The survey is designed to assess the needs of both current and past caregivers. It is anonymous and available online here. It can also be mailed, upon request.
If you are currently a caregiver or have been a caregiver to a cancer patient in the past and are interesting in completing the survey, please click here, email andrew@oregoncancerfoundation.org or call the Oregon Cancer Foundation office at 541-632-3654.
