Hospital Services
Hospital Services |
| You and your child will be involved with many services during your child's treatment. Your child's team will have medical, nursing, allied health, support people - and more. The people and services will vary from hospital to hospital. |
Social Work |
| The Social Work team provides emotional and practical support and counselling for your child, you and your family and links you with other resources and services. Your family might need extra help because of the stress of having a child with cancer. While you may feel you do not require the assistance of a Social Worker initially, if at any point later in treatment or even after treatment finishes your feel it would be helpful, you should speak to your treating team who can arrange for an appointment. |
Mental Health |
| Mental Health Clinicians available include psychologists, family therapists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists. The Mental Health Clinician can assess and treat the emotional and behavioural issues for children with cancer and their families. These might be anxiety about medical procedures and hospital admissions, changes in children's behaviour and mood, difficulties with siblings and family relationships. |
Comfort First Program |
| The Comfort First Program is a Children's Cancer Centre service which provides support and assistance to children and their families in coping with medical procedures. It is staffed by clinicians who specialise in child development. The Comfort First clinicians work with children and their families to help build upon their existing strengths and coping strategies, in addition to teaching helpful skills. The program is tailored for each individual child, and effective coping may be promoted via a number of techniques, some of which include: education, preparation, procedural play, helpful thinking, distraction, imagery, and deep breathing/relaxation exercises. |
Neuropsychology |
| The Neuropsychologist assesses every child who has a brain tumour. Neuropsychology investigates the relationship between the brain and behaviour. It looks at different aspects of thinking and problem solving. Neuropsychological assessment allows your child's progress to be monitored, and if there are problems, neuropsychology can recommend suitable ways to manage it. |
Dietetics |
| Provides special dietary advice and can suggests ways to help maintain your child's weight during and after treatment, if necessary |
Art, Music & Play Therapy |
| The Art Therapist uses a variety of art media to help your child express feelings, thoughts, fears and experiences. These may be about your child's illness, treatment and being in hospital. The Music Therapist gives your child a way to express feelings. This can help relaxation and pain control, focus on healthy parts of the body and let your child make choices and control things. The Play Therapist uses play to reduce your child's anxiety about an unfamiliar place and to help your child understand the medical procedures. Play Therapy can be at your child's bedside or in the playroom. |
Long Term Follow-up |
| As part of the Victoria’s Cancer Action Plan 2008-Long Term Follow-up clinics are accessible to all paediatric and young adult survivors of childhood cancer living in Victoria. The clinic provides each individual with a tailored approach to meet their ongoing needs, in the environment best suited to the level of care required and with an appropriate transition plan to adult-based community or hospital services. Click here to find out more about the LTF clinical services |
Pastoral Care |
| Pastoral care provides spiritual, emotional, religious or simply, human support. You don't need to belong to a religious group or church to ask for a chaplain's help. |