Background and Context: The Living with Cancer Forum is a Cancer Council Northern Territory (CCNT) bi-annual event. CCNT identified that there was a lack of knowledge from the NT cancer population in regard to what cancer services were available in the community. The forum is a new initiative that has been implemented in the NT by CCNT to address this gap in service.
Aim: The aim of the forum is to deliver information to attendees and provide them with an opportunity to network with other people in similar situations. It also provides the chance for attendees to learn about relevant services available in the Northern Territory.
Strategy/Tactics: The format of the forum includes two key note speakers followed by a range of community stakeholder roundtables which provide more detailed information about different support/health services and specific programs available in the community.
Programme/Policy Process: The forum is attended by anyone affected by cancer, including people with a cancer diagnosis, people who have finished active cancer treatment and those people under surveillance, along with carers, family, friends and health professionals.
Outcomes/What was learned:The Living with Cancer Forum has been well attended and feedback indicates that the forum is very well received and that attendees have found the presentations to be relevant and informative.
One participant from the forum said, “I thought the forum was an excellent and informed way to deliver cancer information and it allowed people to connect on a personal level with presenters and other participants who are going through similar experiences”
The attendees were provided with an opportunity to make suggestions for topics for future forums. Some of the suggestions included; the cycle of cancer, music and art therapy, mindfulness, relationship therapies, lymphatic massage and the impact of a cancer diagnosis on carers, family and friends..