Chai increases support for carers to respond to the ‘hidden costs’ of cancer

Announcing the additional support to mark Carers Rights Day, which was on November 20, Louise Crystal, Chai’s client services manager and an advocacy expert, said: “When one partner is diagnosed with cancer, there can be huge financial implications for a family...The patient could be the main breadwinner and there could be a huge drop in income, or the patient could be providing a second income, which is lost, but as a joint entity as a couple, they are still earning too much to be eligible for benefits.”

Chai Cancer Care's Louise Crystal (Photo: Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

Crystal, who helps clients navigate the welfare system, said: “The benefits system can be very overwhelming. Clients come to me with no idea what they are entitled to, and they just want to know what is out there. Often, we can get them some help, especially if they are struggling with side effects from their treatment.”

“At Chai, we can steer them through it and reduce some of the stress and the worry. This can make a huge difference to our clients emotionally, as often, as they stop worrying about finances, they are able to concentrate more on their health.”

Crystal cited the experience of one client, who was in her 70s when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she and her husband had been relying solely on their state pension. “We went through all their financial details, including savings and debts, and it transpired that they were eligible to claim pension credit,” said Crystal. “We guided them on how to apply for this, and they are now in receipt of pension credit. This has really helped, as it is a passport to a number of other benefits, such as council tax reduction and the warm home discount scheme.”

Crystal said she had also helped them apply for a Blue Badge, which had “literally changed their lives, as they are able to park easily when they go to appointments, and it also makes shopping so much easier”.

Chai Cancer Care's Charlotte Hildebrand (Photo: Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

But the strains on the carers go beyond the financial and are often also practical and emotional, said Charlotte Hildebrand, Chai’s head of client services. “A cancer diagnosis can drastically change the lives of loved ones, who suddenly find themselves as carers, managing work, finances, emotions and the day-to-day demands of care.”

Ivor Gomm, 66, became the main carer for his wife Ruth after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The couple attended joint counselling sessions at Chai.

Now Ruth is in remission, Ivor recalled: “I was there 24/7 and doing everything - shopping, housework, cooking. The hardest thing in all of it was that I didn't have the answers. Ruth would ask questions like: 'Will it come back?’ ‘Why did I get it?’ ‘Why does it have to be me?' And that was awful. I hated that I couldn't make it right by saying what the answer to our questions were.”

Ruth and Ivor Gomm (Photo: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

He said he became “very good” at hiding his feelings, but would “take the dog for a walk…I used to go in the woods [and] cry my heart out, and then I would just come back and act normal, with a smile on the face, make a cup of tea and ask: 'What can I do for you?'”

Hildebrand said: “At Chai, we recognise that carers need support as much as patients. Our services are designed to give them practical help, emotional strength and expert guidance, from counselling

and carers’ groups to financial advice, benefits support and new initiatives, like our cookery club, which helps people adjust to responsibilities they may never have had before.”