Practical care for the family of a child with cancer

Support of the child with cancer and his family has two main components: emotional and practical. Since there are already many excellent reviews on emotional care, this discussion covers some of the practical ways to provide help. All the following suggestions are time consuming and some are costly: 1) Physical facilities should include an oncology ward and a special clinic able to provide day care. Adequate arrangements should be availble for parents to stay overnight. 2) Financial resources should be discussed early during the course of the disease to insure adequate coverage and prevent accumulation of debts. Loan and social service funds are a valuable addition to the service. 3) Parent Groups can be organized with differing objectives such as group therapy or community action.