Navigation & Survivorship News

Insights into Navigation: Legacy

In the last edition of the Navigation & Survivorship News, I began a discussion about the elements needed for terminal patients at end of life and to experience a good death. The second element of experiencing a good death is legacy.

Members Memo: Navigation Sponges

Thank you to each member who participated in the regional meeting in Phoenix this spring. My favorite part of each conference is watching the interaction among the members. The term “navigation sponges” came to mind during the open microphone question sessions.

Plus Pointers: Keeping Track of Healthcare

Whether to keep or repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains a matter of congressional debate. The ACA provides important protections for cancer patients, including not allowing health insurance plans to deny or limit coverage because of a cancer diagnosis.

Plus Pointers: Health Literacy

Navigators should be aware of health literacy in their patients, and identify appropriate and credible resources responsive to patient needs (practical, social, physical, emotional, spiritual). Navigators need to take into consideration reading level, health literacy, culture, language and amount of information desired.

Members Memo: Upstate on South Carolina LNN

Congratulations to Jo Weathers and her team in South Carolina for continuing to have a successful navigation support outreach in their area! They held 8 chapter local navigator network (LNN) meetings in 2016 and have grown from an initial gathering of 8 attendees to as many as 26 this year.

Insights into Navigation: Orchestrating a Good Death for Your Metastatic Cancer Patient

This is the first in an 8 part-series about an important topic: helping terminal patients with their end of life. Although we have discussed these elements before, it is worthy of your time to take a look at each of these elements and discuss how nurse navigators can support their patients as they approach end of life.

Insights into Navigation: Dealing with Financial Issues After a Loved One Is Gone

After a cancer patient dies, we commonly are no longer in touch with the family beyond that of offering our condolences. Several months later, however, is when the true financial picture of what the loved one’s end-of-life expenses really were.

Plus Pointers: Setting Learning and Improvement Goals

As a navigator, it’s important to set learning and improvement goals, and identify and perform learning activities that address one’s gaps in knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities.

Members Memo: Tumor Board Survey

Thank you for the tremendous response to the call for how navigators interact around tumor boards. The information progressed from those who are developing their role around this function to the very experienced member.

Insights into Navigation: Coaching Cancer Survivors in Choosing Insurance Options

In the latter part of each year, employees are asked to make decisions about the health insurance benefits they wish to select for the coming calendar year. Rarely does someone say, “Gee, I am planning to get cancer this year so I want to be sure to choose carefully which health plan benefit I want.”