Experiencing Cancer During COVID-19

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0:00 [Music] 0:09 hi I'm sue like you I have cancer we can 0:17 all agree that these are frightening 0:19 times so many worries and so many 0:23 questions it's okay to have all those 0:26 worries and questions please remember 0:29 that your health team is there for you 0:32 hi my name is Joanne like you I have 0:36 cancer and I'm worried about coming to 0:39 the Cancer Center for treatment or even 0:41 just to pick up my prescription from the 0:43 healthcare pharmacy like you I have had 0:47 cancer you might be worried that if you 0:50 have a half crisis you will have to come 0:52 to the emergency department hello like 0:56 you I'm a cancer survivor and I also 0:59 worry about my healthcare team these are 1:02 the people I depend on to take care of 1:04 me during my treatment and I have 1:06 trusted them through my cancer 1:07 experience I care deeply about them I 1:11 hope they are protected and supported 1:13 there have been some changes that have 1:15 been made at the cancer centers around 1:17 the region to keep you safe and feeling 1:20 confident when you go to your Cancer 1:23 Center for a visit or a treatment for 1:27 safety the cancer centers will not let 1:30 you bring a friend family member or a 1:32 caregiver with you but they're taking 1:35 extra care to keep you connected with 1:37 them you are welcome to bring your 1:40 laptop tablet or cell phone so that your 1:44 loved ones can be with you virtually 1:46 during your visits or treatments Wi-Fi 1:50 is free no matter where you are in the 1:53 hospital you can't just walk in like you 1:57 normally would because nurses will need 2:01 to screen you for symptoms at the door 2:04 just like you would tell the nurse about 2:07 any health symptoms that you have if you 2:09 have symptoms of kovin 19 it is very 2:12 important to share this with the nurse 2:15 this will help keep everyone safe having 2:18 symptoms means you'll go through a 2:20 longer screening process 2:21 don't worry it's not as long as you 2:23 might think this doesn't always mean 2:26 that you're going to have your visitor 2:27 treatment cancelled it just means that 2:30 your healthcare team will have to take 2:33 extra steps to ensure your safety and 2:36 there's the more that you tell them 2:38 about your symptoms the more they can 2:40 give you the care you need be prepared 2:44 to see that the halls look empty 2:45 there will be new signs and posters that 2:48 show you where to go you might not 2:51 recognize your favorite nurse because of 2:53 all the personal protective equipment 2:55 they are wearing to keep you safe you 2:59 will also have most of your visits with 3:01 your doctor or health care team change 3:03 to be on the phone or online virtual 3:07 visits will let you speak to them face 3:09 to face it's just going to feel a bit 3:12 different we know there have been so 3:15 many changes these last few months but 3:17 some things are still the same did you 3:21 know that support is still available all 3:23 these supports are at your fingertips 3:26 our Cancer Care supportive care programs 3:29 are still running you can book a phone 3:33 or online visit with your social worker 3:36 dietician or psychiatrist you can still 3:40 bring a virtual visitor with you connect 3:43 with your loved ones during a visit or 3:45 treatment 3:46 use your tablet cell phone or a laptop 3:49 to call them while you were there 3:52 Hope Springs offers a cancer care 3:54 counselor and continues to run online 3:57 Cruz a cancer care counselor offers 4:01 online are fully visits for one-on-one 4:04 support they also continue to run groups 4:08 online visit their website for more 4:12 information if you are caring for 4:14 someone with cancer or a need care 4:17 support you can call the Ontario 4:20 caregiver helpline another great support 4:25 service is cancer chat Canada you can 4:28 join a free online chat group through 4:31 the de souza Institute it provides free 4:34 professionally led online support groups 4:37 for Canadians affected by cancer 4:39 including patients survivors and family 4:43 members support groups can provide 4:46 emotional support and a place to safely 4:49 discuss personal topics 4:53 things have changed so much and are 4:55 continuing to change the healthcare team 4:58 has been working very hard every day and 5:01 making sacrifices so they can be there 5:03 for us we're grateful that they have 5:06 been able to adapt to keep providing 5:08 care to those who need it we want to say 5:12 thanks so much for everything you do for 5:15 us and for our community thank you for 5:18 being there when our loved ones can't be 5:20 thank you for wearing your personal 5:22 protective equipment even when it's not 5:25 comfortable thank you for the long hard 5:29 hours thank you for adjusting to this 5:32 new world thank you for being common 5:35 steady in this challenging time thank 5:38 you for the sacrifices you've been 5:40 making by coming to work even when it's 5:44 really hard and we want to thank you the 5:48 patient's for working with these changes 5:51 during this difficult time know that 5:54 we're here with you and still cheering 5:57 you on during your cancer experience be 6:00 safe be strong and remember we're in 6:04 this together