Advocating for Adolescents and Young Adults
And that is why an important part of the work the Crystal Lee Foundation does, is to advocate for a better experience and outcomes for young people in healthcare generally, but especially for those undergoing cancer treatment.
We are speaking with the law makers,
the service providers,
the hospital builders,
and the administrators
to make this happen.
Crystal Johnson wanted to help educate the community on the needs of teenagers in the health system which are different from the needs of young children and the older population.
The Foundation Goals in this area include ...
- Provision of cancer treatment for young people under 18 years in regional Victoria
(currently only available in Melbourne)
- Ensuring our hospitals provide age-appropriate care in an age-appropriate environment.
Please make yourself aware of the facts and speak up for better outcomes for our young people.
You might not know...
Children under 18 are not treated at the South West Cancer Centre Warrnambool which means they need to travel to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne with all the disruption and stress this can cause for families at an already difficult time.
We advocate for more treatment to be available in regional Victoria after initial diagnosis with a more effective use of telehealth to reduce the incidence of trips to Melbourne and the social and financial disruption they cause.
You might not know...
One outcome of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health Services was the establishment of a youth mental health and wellbeing service for those aged 12 -25 years old. “Strict age-based eligibility for services will be removed and developmentally appropriate transitions will be applied between age-based systems and service streams”.
We advocate for the same approach to be adopted across the entire healthcare system.
You might not know...
Young people with cancer are challenged with accepting, managing and overcoming a critical illness at a transformative stage of life. In addition to facing a potentially life-threatening illness at a time that is usually filled with life-affirming potential, young people are more significantly impacted in the areas of education, relationships, fertility, finances and career prospect.
Young people with cancer often find themselves in health and support services designed for either younger children or older adults. To ensure their survival, health, wellbeing and positive contribution to society, young people with cancer must have their unique age-related, clinical, physical, psychosocial, and practical needs met. This requires specialised age-appropriate care.
We advocate for age-appropriate care in and age-appropriate environment which supports the psychosocial development of young people and their connections to family, friends, careers and education.
We are speaking with the law makers,
the service providers,
the hospital builders,
and the administrators
to make this happen.
