2021 Head & Neck Cancer Conference
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Welcome to<br />
The Swallows<br />
<strong>Head</strong> and <strong>Neck</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> Charity<br />
The Swallows Charity supports all people affected by head and neck cancers; patients, caregivers,<br />
friends or relatives. The patient is the focus for support, help and signposting. However the role of<br />
caregivers and others is vital too, with their own support needs often overlooked. It is our intention<br />
for every person affected by head and neck cancer to have access to support at the point they<br />
need it, by the method of their choice, on a 24/7 basis. This could be by telephone, email or social<br />
media. This is the key growth area for The Swallows and we have expanded our global reach to<br />
provide resources, enabling this 24/7 support to be freely available to all people affected by head<br />
and neck cancers.<br />
It is a proven fact that early diagnosis saves lives. Hence it is important to educate and inform<br />
people globally about a) how to avoid such cancers, and b) how to look for warning signs that<br />
allow for early diagnosis and treatment.<br />
Our support groups<br />
Currently we have several Support Groups in the UK and our unique virtual international monthly<br />
patient and caregiver meeting. Our aim is to increase the number of support groups over the coming<br />
years. The approach we use successfully is to provide a monthly meeting at which both patients and<br />
caregivers can attend to discuss their issues. They are given the opportunity to talk about these matters<br />
collectively or separately in a safe environment.<br />
Our experience and feedback gathered from attendees is that they value this time spent together to<br />
talk about their own specific issues in an open and honest way and to receive support. We find that<br />
separating patients from caregivers for some of this time facilitates a more open and frank exchange<br />
which results in people in similar situations being able to offer much valued support and guidance.<br />
Feedback since 2011 has shown that this approach works very well, and this is the model that we are<br />
now seeking to use with all Swallows Support Groups in the UK and overseas.<br />
Chris Curtis<br />
Chief Executive Officer,<br />
<strong>Head</strong> & <strong>Neck</strong> <strong>Cancer</strong> Survivor,<br />
Honorary Senior Lecturer within the<br />
School of Health Sciences (UCLan),<br />
The Swallows H&N <strong>Cancer</strong> Support Charity<br />
chris@theswallows.org.uk<br />
www.theswallows.org.uk | info@theswallows.org.uk<br />
justgiving.com/theswallows<br />
24<br />
Patient an<br />
support li<br />
07<br />
725<br />
theswallowscancersupport<br />
@swallowsgroup<br />
28<br />
VIRTUAL HEAD & NECK CANCER CONFERENCE <strong>2021</strong>
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