Patient Support Services Inova Cancer Services provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient support services for people whose lives are touched by cancer. Support groups, educational programs and services are offered through:
Some of the services available to our patients, their families and friends include support groups for lymphedema, head and neck cancer, multiple myeloma, leukemia, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Spirituality groups, counseling, social services and educational seminars are also available.
Life With Cancer® at Inova Fairfax Cancer Center Inova Cancer Services offers a comprehensive variety of inpatient and outpatient support services to cancer patients, their families and friends through its Life With Cancer program. Support groups, social services, educational seminars and special programs, such as My Friend's House, are available to anyone in need. My Friend's House is a special Life with Cancer group program for children aged 5 to 14, designed to help them understand and cope with the impact of cancer on their family.
Life with Cancer has also developed free cancer tip sheets in 13 different languages to help those with cancer better cope with the common side effects of treatment. The multilingual cancer tip sheets provide self-management information related to anemia (low red blood-cell count), neutropenia (low white blood-cell count), thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and chemotherapy. The information is available in English, Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Farsi, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, French, Portuguese, Somali and Urdu.
For more information, call Life with Cancer at 703-698-2820.
For information about support groups, seminars, free screening and volunteer opportunities, call Inova HealthSource at 703-750-8800.
Cancer Rehabilitation Inova Fairfax Hospital's Rehabilitation Center has a comprehensive breast cancer rehabilitation program, including treatment for musculoskeletal dysfunction that can occur after breast surgery, and rehab for lung, head and neck cancer. For women dealing with lymphedema after breast cancer surgery, certified lymphedema therapists provide treatment at the rehabilitation centers at Inova Alexandria and Inova Fairfax hospitals. Inova Mount Vernon Hospital's Rehabilitation Center works closely to coordinate continued active treatment with chemotherapy while the patient receives rehabilitation at the hospital. Individually designed rehabilitation programs help cancer patients and their families remain as independent as possible within the limitations of the disease.
Pain Management Inova hospitals and Inova VNA Home Health provide inpatient and outpatient pain management services for cancer patients. Expert pain management is available for pharmacologic, holistic and invasive interventions.
Pastoral Care Multidenominational pastoral care services, providing spiritual support and emotional comfort to patients and their families, are available at all Inova hospitals. The pastoral care staff also helps caregivers address the theological, bioethical, philosophical and cultural issues that often arise in the course of cancer treatment.
Complementary Approaches In addition to conventional medical care, Inova Cancer Services offers complementary therapies at some facilities. These therapies include acupuncture, massage, tai chi, yoga, stress management, spirituality quest, pet therapy, biofeedback and guided imagery.
Nutrition Services The Nutrition Support Program helps cancer patients maintain optimum nutritional intake during their cancer treatment by providing nutrition information, counseling and special diets for cancer patients, as well as guidance for their care givers. A proper diet can help patients maintain their strength, tolerate potential side effects better and may enable them to receive higher doses of some therapies that have greater cancer-fighting potential.
Positive Reflections Center Positive Reflections Center, funded by the Inova Fairfax Hospital Auxiliary and staffed by their volunteers, carries comfort items and resource materials for cancer patients and the family and friends concerned about them. The shop's stock includes caps and other headgear, mild toiletries, some specialty clothing, books, and other informational media and inspirational items. Located in Inova Fairfax Hospital near its Cancer Center, the shop is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, please call 703-776-2445.