These issues often become complex and require the expertise of a social worker or an interdisciplinary team. Services may have to be coordinated to help with home care, travel, meal preparation, and drug adherence. Counseling may be warranted to help patients and their families cope with the seriousness of the illness. Efforts to overcome these difficulties frequently require alterations in treatment plans and interdisciplinary approaches. Finances may pose problems as well.
Most pharmaceutical companies have indigent patient programs.
It must not be forgotten that cancer is often fatal. Sometimes treatment becomes futile, exposing an elderly patient to suffering that outweighs any potential benefit. Even at the time of initial diagnosis, treatment is not always warranted. An honest discussion of what is likely to be gained and what the side effects of treatment are likely to be is the best course of action. This understanding can be fostered by direct and forthright discussions regarding prognosis and benefits and risks of therapy and is enhanced by a trusting physician-patient relationship.