Help for carers
Health and Wellbeing
Looking after your physical health is important for everyone, but it is especially important for those in a caring role.
There’s lots you can do to take care of yourself, including:
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Keeping active
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Eating well
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Making time for self-care
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Getting sufficient sleep
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If your caring responsibilities are impacting your ability to do this, it is important to ask for support.
WMUK oversee a total of 18 virtual support groups, that are there to provide emotional and community support to both patients and their families/friends.
The support groups cover a large area of the UK, as well as ones which are specific to Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia related conditions and specific cohorts of people such as the peripheral neuropathy group or the Mums with WM group.
The support groups contain individuals from all different stages of WM care – from newly diagnosed, active monitoring, undergoing systemic cancer therapy, clinical trials and Zanubrutinib treatment.
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The support group meetings are held virtually over Zoom and many of them also use WhatsApp as a form of continued support and communication.
Due to covid many of the groups have not yet met in person – something which we are looking to work on in the upcoming year.
Bob Perry, our Patient Support Manager, has tried to encourage a ‘buddy up’ system within the support groups – this is where 2 individuals who are in similar circumstances will be buddied up to provide an extra layer of support.
WM Support
Groups
Non Regional Support Groups:
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Supporters of people with WM Group
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Peripheral Neuropathy Group
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Bing Neel Group
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Mums with WM Group
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Young WMers Group
Want to join a group?​
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One of WMUK’s aims within 2023, is to ensure that we have a robust patient support pathway that recognises and addresses both the clinical and holistic needs of WM patients and their families/friends.
Get in touch with us at support@wmuk.org.uk and we will direct you towards your local support group leaders.
Other helpful resources
A brilliant charity who focus on the non-clinical aspects of cancer including, finances, practical support, psychological support as well as support for carers.
A charity which focuses mainly on ‘Living Well with Cancer’ and has lots of resources around this.
A charity more focused to family members/carers on how to cope with caring for some one with a long-term condition.