Cancer patient and caregiver resources
Look to Montage Health for helpful resources and compassionate support every step of your cancer journey.
Classes and support groups
Take part in a wide range of classes and support groups to help you and your caregivers become informed, improve your health and well being, and socialize with people who can relate.
One-on-one cancer education session
Your Personal Cancer Guide: A Prescription for Healing is a free, one-on-one session with an oncology nurse educator. You’ll work together to design a customized program for coping with the physical and emotional impact of cancer. Your plan can cover a wide range of topics, including:
- Access to support services
- Coping skills and ways to manage stress
- Disease and treatment information
- Support for body-image concerns
Contact us today at (831) 625-4753 to schedule your session.
Lipstick Angels
You deserve to feel pampered during cancer treatment. So, ask your care team about Lipstick Angels. This nonprofit group brings compassion, wellness, and beauty services to Community Hospital and our Comprehensive Cancer Center’s infusion suite. You can receive a facial, get your makeup done, and enjoy a hand massage or aromatherapy using clean, nontoxic products. Enjoy the healing power of touch and self-care.
Help to quit smoking
If you smoke, quitting can help improve your body’s ability to heal and fight cancer. It also helps reduce your risk of certain cancers and many health problems. Explore Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula’s comprehensive program to quit nicotine for good.
Patient navigator program
Benefit from peer support and friendship as you navigate your cancer journey. After a cancer diagnosis, get support and guidance from a trained volunteer and fellow cancer survivor. To take advantage of this free resource or to volunteer, call (831) 625-4753.
Palliative care and pain management
Palliative care is available for patients at any stage of a chronic (long-term), serious illness and their loved ones. It focuses on:
- Improving your quality of life
- Providing emotional, social, and spiritual support
- Relieving and managing symptoms, including pain
- Setting goals for your health and life
Social work services
Depend on Montage Health to help you identify and address any challenges that may affect your well being or cancer care. You can choose to meet with a professional social worker for free, personalized consultations after starting treatment.
What to expect
You’ll fill out a survey to help us understand any areas of concern causing you stress or anxiety. During an in-person or virtual visit, your social worker can offer guidance and recommendations for services at Montage Health and community resources. You may benefit from:
- Financial counseling and assistance to cover food, transportation, and other costs
- Nutrition counseling that focuses on boosting your body’s ability to heal and fight cancer
- Referrals for mental health services
Include your family for extra support
While you serve as the main decision-maker and driver of your care plan, you can choose to include family members in your consultations. You’ll appreciate how we involve your loved ones in the planning process and address their needs as well — so they’re able to best support you.
Spiritual resources
Feeling uncertain or lonely is normal during your cancer journey. Finding time for prayer, meditation, or contemplation can help uplift your spirit. We offer:
- Healing garden – Soothing location in the cancer center to observe nature
- Meditation room – Peaceful, dedicated setting at the cancer center where you can meditate and practice mindfulness
- Spiritual care – Meetings with chaplains (volunteer clergy) who offer compassionate spiritual, emotional, and grief counseling and serve as a liaison with local faith communities
Survivorship services
Cancer survivorship refers to living with or through cancer. During or after treatment, take part in survivorship services, which provide holistic wellness resources tailored to your unique needs as a cancer survivor.
Hospice care
Entrust Community Hospital’s compassionate professionals if you need hospice (end-of-life) care. Hospice care provides support and comfort to those with a terminal (life-ending) illness, as well as their friends and family members. Your cancer care team will work closely with our hospice specialists to make the transition to hospice as smooth as possible.
At Community Hospital’s Hospice of the Central Coast, you can access:
- Care from a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, social workers, aides, spiritual counselors, and volunteers who make your experience as peaceful and meaningful as possible
- Grief support for adults, teens, and children
- Lending library with materials about loss, grief, and end-of-life care
Additional resources
Explore services and resources designed to make life as easy as possible for Montage Health patients and those who care for them.
