The Education in Palliative and End-of-life Care for Caregivers (EPEC - Caregiver) aims to improve communication between cancer survivors, caregivers, and health care providers during the treatment process. EPEC - Caregiver is funded by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a nonprofit organization that inspires and empowers people who are affected by cancer and provides practical information and tools that help cancer patients live life on their own terms. EPEC - Caregiver has developed a Navigating the Healthcare System Workshop. This 4 module curriculum was developed to assist cancer patients and family caregivers in navigating the complex health care system in order to receive the best care possible. As with the EPEC Curriculum, it is designed to be taught by nurses, social workers, patient advocates, educators, and navigators. The workshop was presented at the 2009 Annual Congress of the Oncology Nursing Society, the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Association of Oncology Social Work, and to a group of Chicago-based patient educators in October 2009.

Materials for the Navigating the Healthcare System Workshop include a participant's handbook that consists of 4 content modules for people who are living with cancer and their family caregivers; a trainer’s guide for workshop instructors; and four topic-specific brochures for patients and family caregivers.

EPEC is also interested in training patient navigators using these materials. For information regarding workshops, please contact us at info@epec.net

Click here to download EPEC - Caregiver materials.