Support for Survivors & Their Families
American Society for Psychosocial and Behavioral Oncology/AIDS is a multidisciplinary group of professionals who offer psychosocial support to patients with cancer, AIDS and other life threatening diseases. They maintain an online "Member Search" database of clinicians (especially psychiatrists and psychologists), searchable by name and/or state.
American Cancer Society Cancer Survivors Network provides a forum for people whose lives have been influenced by cancer. It is a site for patients, survivors, and caregivers. There is a discussion group just for caregivers as well as a general mailing list.
Association of Oncology Social Work aims to connect cancer patients and their families with essential community, national and international resources. Their web site includes links to other organizations involved in support services for cancer patients and their families.
The Wellness Community is an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing free support, education and hope to people with cancer and their loved ones. Services include professionally led support groups, educational workshops, nutrition and exercise programs, and mind/body classes offered through local Wellness Communities in the U.S. and abroad, and online at The Virtual Wellness Community.
Dealing with End-of-Life Issues
The Growth House provides a comprehensive guide to end-of-life issues such as hospice and palliative care, improving quality of life, pain management, and grief. Online services include comprehensive educational and research material on end of life care. The company offers service referrals for those in the San Francisco area.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is an association of hospice and palliative care resources. On their web site, patients and caregivers can find and research hospice and palliative programs and facilities in their area. The site also includes information on creating an advance directive.
The Hospice Association of America offers consumers information on hospice care such as a hospice guide, the history of hospice care, hospice fact sheets, and a national listing of hospice facilities.
The Hospice Foundation of America offers information on palliative and hospice care and resources on grieving and coping with loss. The Hospice Foundation of America also has teleconference support groups to help grieving individuals, an end-of-life database, a find-a-hospice search function, and an online Hospice and Caregiving Blog, which offers stories and articles on the end-of-life experience.
Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is a national consumer and community engagement initiative to improve care at the end of life. The site offers free resources, including a state-specific living will and healthcare power of attorney.
ElderWeb offers general information on financial planning, elder law, end-of-life issues, long-term care insurance, nursing homes, and other resources for people over 60 in all 50 states.
Complementary & Alternative Medicine
American Holistic Medical Association is a professional association of doctors (MD and DO) who incorporate various complementary therapies into their practices. There are areas for the public with explanations about holistic medicine, resources, and a search engine for a holistic practitioner in specific areas.
American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is a national organization focusing on the relationship between nutrition and cancer, with many educational materials for the public.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is part of the National Institutes of Health, providing consumer information, fact sheets, consensus reports, and clinical trial information.
Natural Health News is an online news service related to complementary and alternative therapies.
Quackwatch provides consumer information on product claims, alternative treatment methods, services and therapies with the purpose of educating the public about health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies and misconduct.
Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine web site provides a wide range of information related to complementary therapies for cancer and other conditions.