CCSN is Partnering with CanRehab

Do Cancer Survivors Need Rehab?

You Bet They Do!

That is why the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network is partnering with the Canadian Cancer Rehabilitation Team (CanRehab) team to ensure that cancer patients, caregivers and survivors remain at the forefront of this five-year research project on cancer rehabilitation.  Patient partners on the team can be engaged in a number of ways, including participation in governance committees, consulting on program and research design and knowledge translation activities.

Volunteers needed ASAP!

CanRehab is looking for volunteers who would be interested in taking part in a two- hour virtual co-design workshop that will be conducted in June. These workshops will gather input and feedback on the design of our online system to screen patients for cancer-related impairments. You can participate in these from the comfort of your own home.

We are looking for adults (18 years plus, any gender) who have been diagnosed and recently completed treatment for breast, colorectal, lymphoma or head and neck cancer. Ideally, participants have experienced some physical side effects (i.e. fatigue, pain, lymphedema, difficulties with daily activities) from their treatment and can talk about their experience.

If you are interested in helping, please contact Jennifer Rosart at Jennifer.rosart@uhn.ca.

CanRehab also needs Patient Partners!

In the near future, CanRehab will be hosted on an upcoming Canadian Cancer Survivor Network webinar to introduce you to the CanRehab Team, the projects, and to highlight some of the patient partner opportunities. This will be an opportunity to also answer any questions you may have and to get your feedback.  Over the next few months, there will be several opportunities to get involved with the CanRehab team.

Why CanRehab?

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer can result in long-lasting side effects, which interfere with a person’s ability to work, engage socially, and perform daily activities. To optimize patient outcomes, the healthcare system must focus not only on controlling the cancer but also on improving functioning and quality of life for individuals.
There is an urgent need for research that can help to inform care for cancer survivors, including the early identification of physical side effects and the development of effective and sustainable cancer rehabilitation programs that can be supported and maintained within our health care system.

The CanRehab team is made up of a large group of cancer survivors, researchers and clinicians at four cancer centres across Canada (British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador). This team has been awarded funding for five years from the Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Institutes of Health Research to conduct three linked projects that are focused on improving equal access to timely, effective, and appropriate cancer rehabilitation.

  • Project One will develop and evaluate an online system to screen patients for cancer-related impairments and improve access to cancer rehabilitation services.
  • Project Two will test an 8-week on-line cancer rehabilitation program and examine implementation factors.
  • Project Three will test the feasibility of a rehabilitation program for the growing number of survivors with incurable cancer.

Through the three linked projects, the goal is to improve the identification of adverse effects, increase access to cancer rehabilitation, and extend reach to include a growing population of cancer survivors, including those living with metastatic cancer.

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