Cancer coaches help guide patients

Cancer is a scary thing to tackle alone, so a lot of people reach out for help when they get news of this nature. Having someone in the family with this situation, I can attest to how dizzying it can make a person feel when advice is coming from every angle. However, "cancer coaches" are now starting to become more widespread that offer help with information, not advice.

These patient navigators are an outlet for someone to talk with about options and other help they may need to consider. The article says that an ideal candidate for this supporter should be someone who can lend support. This includes mental reinforcement, because not everyone has a strong family to lean on. The coaches should also be able to lend a hand with sorting through information and resources.

Objectivity is also important, because these people may have survivor experiences of their own. Either way, volunteers doing this (and paid workers alike) are turning out to be a valuable asset. Almost 90 locations have these coaches available, and the American Cancer Society wants to take it further. It's good to hear about straight-forward solutions to information overload that involve real people for once.