Resources for Family, Friends, and Caregivers

Caregivers and Caregiving

• Stepping Into Caregiving: Help for New Caregivers
• Families with Special Needs: Caregiving Tips

Improving Emotional Health, Quality of Life, and Healthy Behaviors

• Self-Management Education: Learn More. Feel Better.
• Cancer self-management education (SME) programs
• What is Health-Related Quality of Life?
• Distress Screening and Psychosocial Care for Cancer Survivors
• My Personal Prescription for Surviving Cancer by George Hilliard (Blog)
• Being a Cancer Survivor Reminds Me Life is Precious by Traci Ramirez (Blog)
• Managing Stress
• Smoking and Cancer Fact Sheet (PDF)

Treatment and Follow-up Care

• Chemotherapy’s Most Serious Side Effect by Dr. Lisa Richardson (Blog)
• A Cancer Survivors’ Prescription for Finding Information (PDF)
• Life After Treatment Guide (PDF)-
• Life After Treatment Guide – A Guide for American Indians & Alaska Natives (PDF)–

Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients, Survivors, and Caregivers

• Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients (Web Feature)
• Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients: Information for Patients and Caregivers
• Preventing Infections During Cancer Treatment: Program Materials for Patients and Caregivers: (Fact sheets, posters, and podcasts on topics such as sepsis, neutropenia or low white blood cell count, and risk for infection)
• Health Tip Sheets on Preventing Infections:
• Videos on Preventing Infections: (Topics include: preventing infections during chemotherapy, caring for a wound, understanding low white blood cell count, and more!)
• Risk Assessment Test: (For Cancer Patients or Caregivers – Take a quick test to learn your or your loved one’s risk of developing a low white blood cell count and infections during chemotherapy)
• Flu Information for Patients, Survivors, Caregivers
• Flu: A Guide For Parents of Children or Adolescents with Chronic Health Conditions (PDF)
• Cancer, the Flu, and You (Web Feature)
• Cancer Patients and Fungal Infections

Family History and Genomics

• Does Breast or Ovarian Cancer Run in Your Family? (Web Feature)
• Quick Facts about Family Health History and Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer
• Cancer and Family History: Using Genomics for Cancer Prevention: CDC Public Health Grand Rounds
• Breast and Ovarian Cancer and Family History Risk Categories: (Provides information about average, moderate and strong family histories of breast and ovarian cancer).
• Genetic Counseling and Evaluation for BRCA1/2 Testing:
• Know:BRCA Tool: (The Know:BRCA online tool is a resource developed to help women understand their risks for having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation.)
• Genetic Testing for Lynch Syndrome:
• Fact Sheet: Family History is Important for Health

CDC Resources by Cancer Type

• Cervical
• Ovarian
• Uterine
• Vaginal and Vulvar
• Colorectal
• Lung

Additional Support Programs and Services

The National Cancer Institute has a Support Services Locator where you can search a list of more than 100 organizations nationwide that provide emotional, practical, and financial support services for people with cancer and their families.