CANCER SOCIETY NURSES GET HELPING HAND

The Cancer Society’s team of 13 registered Nurses experienced in community and oncology nursing offer a unique service to people in their own homes in their community who have had a recent diagnosis (or relapse) and are receiving treatment for cancer.

Meeting this demand is at the very heart of our purpose and the Society greatly appreciates the very generous philanthropic support The Lion Foundation has provided the Cancer Society which will enable the society to minimise the impact of a cancer diagnosis by continuing to sustain a free Liaison Nursing Service, which this past year provided 6,346 cancer patient visits throughout Auckland and Northland, received 1806 new referrals and made over 30,378 support phone calls.  

In recent months we have seen a dramatic rise in the number of people using our services. Referrals to our community liaison nursing service have increased by 61% compared to the same period last year.  In part, we believe this has been brought about by factors such as the recession whereby people are in genuine need of more assistance on many fronts. Looking ahead the government predicts the population of our region will increase by 32% over the next 20 years. This growth, combined with the reality of an aging population, means the Cancer Society faces a significant increase in the number of people who will be diagnosed with cancer and who will need our support.

The Cancer Society is the leading non-government organisation dedicated to reducing the incidence and impact of cancer, and one of New Zealand’s most trusted charities. The Cancer Society receives no direct financial support from Government and as such is entirely reliant on donations and bequests throughout the year to fund a wide range of services free of charge to all people affected by cancer.