Dealing with distance When you don’t live in a major city, cancer treatment is a logistical challenge. It can be tough going, but there are services in place to help you manage the practicalities and the costs of travel and accommodation.
Getting there Specialist cancer treatment centres tend to be located in the capitals and larger regional cities. But around one in three people with cancer live at a distance from these facilities. If that’s you, then you’ll be making some long trips to keep up your treatment.
Covering car costs Every state and territory has some sort of government-run travel scheme to compensate people with cancer for the cost of transport. Generally they’re available to people who live more than 100km from their nearest treatment centre and will reimburse car travel costs at a rate of between 10 and 16 cents per kilometre. Call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20 for contact details of your local patient assistance transport scheme.
Trains and buses In some areas, the travel schemes also cover bus and train travel. Contact your local patient assistance transport scheme for details.
Special flights Angel Flight (www.angelflight.org.au or 1300 726 567) is a charity that coordinates free, non-emergency flights for people who need to travel long distances to medical facilities. All requests for flights must come from a health professional. Speak to your care team if you think this could help you.
Staying overnight In some states and territories, travel schemes also help with the cost of renting a hotel or motel room for a few nights. Schemes vary, but subsidies tend to be around $30 a night.
A home away from home If you’re having chemotherapy or radiotherapy you’re likely to need somewhere to stay for days or weeks at a time. Many organisations run accommodation centres for cancer patients and their carers. Call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20 for suggestions on suitable accommodation for you, or consider the following alternatives.
National The Leukaemia Foundation offers accommodation in all the mainland states and the ACT; call 1800 620 420 for more information. A joint initiative between Breast Cancer Australia, the Cancer & Bowel Research Trust and Kids Cancer Research Trust oversees accommodation in Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne; for more information go to www.breastcanceraustralia.org/accommodation.html; www.cancerresearch.org.au/r-treatresidence.html or www.kidscancer.org.au/accom.html. And there are now Ronald McDonald Houses located near hospitals in Sydney, Newcastle, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga, Brisbane, Townsville, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart; go to www.rmhc.org.au for details.
NSW & ACT The Cancer Institute lists accommodation in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, country NSW and the ACT; go to www.cancerinstitute.org.au and follow the links to Patients & carers > Cancer services directory > Accommodation. Can Assist (canassist.com.au) provides accommodation for country cancer patients and their carers at two centres: the Jean Colvin Cancer Centre in Darling Point, Sydney, (02) 9362 3429, and Lilier Lodge in Wagga Wagga, (02) 6925 5240.
Expert's insight: Dr Sabe Sabesan To improve services, Dr Sabe Sabesan at Townsville Hospital uses video conferencing to conduct consultations with people from remote areas such as Mornington Island, 1200km away.
“In the past, people had difficulty accessing the specialist services because they had to travel so far. They would have flown into Townsville for a 15-minute consultation, only to be told everything’s fine, turn around and get back on the plane.
“People weren’t attending clinics because it wasted time and they didn’t want to leave their families. If they were feeling sick, a long drive or flight was just making them feel worse.
“For four years, we’ve looked after people living with cancer in Mount Isa using a video link. Normally, it would be a 10-hour drive from Townsville, one way. In Mount Isa we have a nurse and a medical officer who can provide a physical examination if needed. When I get a referral, I can see you almost straight away.
“With video conferencing systems, I can show people images like scans, x-rays and blood results – whatever’s on my computer. It saves money for the patients and the health system.
“If you need chemotherapy, you come into town. But you may only need tablet chemo and I’ll send it out, monitoring you from Townsville. The feedback has been terrific. It’s working.”
Expert's insight: Jenny Beach As the director of statewide services for Cancer Council NSW, Jenny Beach understands how the high cost of travel and accommodation can add to the burden of living with cancer.
“You need to link in with somebody that can help you. It’s about finding somebody who will help you weave your way through the system. I urge people to ring the Cancer Council Helpline because they can ask questions that will lead you to a range of services you hadn’t even thought possible. If you’re living in Gunnedah or you’re living in Bourke, they will know exactly what’s available.
“I’ve heard people who say ‘I can’t go away. The animals won’t be fed. We can’t afford to pay anyone.’ And people will sometimes make their choices about treatment based on things like that. But if they stop thinking there are no options – if they just do that one thing and ring that Helpline – they will find there are options and choices.”
More help
Cancer Council Helpline 13 11 20 The staff on the Helpline can tell you about a range of services, from patient assistance transport schemes to financial counselling and more. Just as importantly, they can help you access a support group, where you can talk with other people from rural or regional Australia who are dealing with cancer. Some support groups get together locally on a regular basis, but others exist on the phone or over the internet.
Can Assist (02) 8217 3400 www.canassist.com.au In country NSW, local branches of Can Assist can provide financial assistance for local people affected by cancer. See the website for contact details of branches.
Farm sitting If you’re on a farm and you need someone to look after your property and livestock while you or a loved one is having treatment for cancer, try getting in touch with a farm-sitting agency.
KATE JENNINGS Kate Jennings was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and advised to undergo immediate surgery. Living on the NSW Central Coast, there were no local surgeons available so she travelled to Sydney for treatment.
After surgery, Kate continued commuting, initially for chemotherapy and then radiotherapy. This meant a five-hour round trip, every day, for six weeks. But although the drive was exhausting, Kate considers herself fortunate. Many cancer patients in regional Australia must travel vast distances.
“For the first four months of chemo I travelled to Sydney. I’d catch the train down and my husband would pick me up after work. I was going every three weeks to begin with, but for the last 12 weeks of chemo it was once a week. For the last two months they transferred me to Gosford Hospital, which was so much easier. It was just half an hour there and back.
“After chemo, I started radiotherapy. There’s no public radiotherapy centre on the Central Coast. And having been out of work for a year, I couldn’t afford to pay for six weeks’ radiotherapy as a private patient. I travelled to Sydney and back every day. I had the option of either travelling to Newcastle or Sydney, but Newcastle had a 12-week waiting list.
“You can’t do anything else. You feel as if you put your life on hold until the treatment’s finished. I’m still trying to get my energy levels back up. I tried the train for a couple of weeks and it just completely wiped me out. I was no good for anything.
“I’m one of the lucky ones. I wasn’t working at the time and my husband could support me. I didn’t have children to look after. I’m also half an hour from the freeway. Some people are two hours’ drive from their nearest town. Some people have it much tougher.”