Your Space is Canberra Region Cancer Centre’s wellbeing education and support centre for you, your family and carers.
Living with cancer and its associated side effects can impact on your wellbeing as well as the lives of your families and carers. Your Space is the home of online resources and available supportive care and community services to help you improve your wellbeing and find support. The programs are available to everyone aged 15 years or over who is having cancer treatment in the ACT and surrounding region. This includes your family and carers.
A diverse team to support you
The Your Space Cancer Wellbeing Centre has team members including:
- Cancer Supportive Care Team consisting of social workers, psychologists and cancer specialist nurses.
- therapeutic harpist
- exercise physiologists
- dietitians
- Canberra Region Cancer Centre volunteers as well as administration team members.
We also work with a range of community organisations and services, such as
Our principles
Your Space is guided by the following principles:
- Person-centred by helping you to be informed and involved in decisions around your health and wellbeing, access wellbeing services and supports that are right for you and take action to support your wellbeing in your everyday life.
- Integrated and coordinated care by ensuring our wellbeing services and supports are integrated with your other cancer treatments and available to you when you need them.
- Promoting wellbeing and self-management by providing information that is easy to understand and help you manage your symptoms and wellbeing as much as possible.
- Evidence-based by ensuring all wellbeing programs are based on facts and proven to be beneficial.
- Impactful Cancer Wellbeing Centre design and architecture so you and your family and carers can relax and meet at the Your Space centre away from the clinical atmosphere.
- Partnering with community service providers to help you know what wellbeing services and community support is available, also when you finish your treatment with us.
Workshop schedule
Your Space offers a range of free workshops and information sessions. These are in person and online.
Ask us for more information on upcoming sessions and how to book.
Your Space - workshops and information sessions explained
Delta Dogs
A trained therapy dog and volunteer visit our patients in the cancer wards every Tuesday between 10am and 11am to provide company and comfort during their time in hospital.
Music and relaxation
Our therapeutic harpist plays each week in the atrium on Level 2 of the centre, with a program of music for relaxation. Patients and carers are invited to join her each Wednesday at 11am.
Look Good Feel Better Workshop
A free national community service program that will teach you how to manage the appearance-related side-effects caused by treatment for any cancer. The program is designed to leave you feeling more positive and in control, helping you to face your cancer with confidence. It is run by the Cancer Patients Foundation once a month at Canberra Region Cancer Centre.
Rotating Supportive Care Team Sessions
The sessions help you with your treatment at the cancer centre. We will give you practical information on how to manage being at home and take care of yourself while you are being treated for cancer.
Introduction to the Cancer Supportive Care Team
Meet one of the cancer specialist nurses and social workers who will talk to you about the various ways you can be supported during your cancer experience and can help you and your family to adjust to the changes that cancer brings. The session will be conducted over one hour with plenty of time for questions and to chat with the presenters over a cup of tea or coffee.
Upcoming Dates: TBC
Venue: Building 19, Level 2, Patient Lounge
Booking required
Nutrition in cancer treatment
Good nutrition is important to help achieve the best result from your treatment. A healthy diet may help you to feel better and have more energy, help heal and fight infections and help cope with the side effects of your treatment. The session will cover:
- practical tips to eat well during treatment
- how to manage some of the common eating problems caused by cancer or its treatment
- common food myths.
Upcoming Date: TBC
Venue: Building 19, Level 2, Patient Lounge
Booking required
Sexual health and intimacy in cancer
Cancer and its treatment can impact on sexuality and intimacy from a physical, functional and emotional perspective. The aim of this session is to present and discuss some of the more common ways sexuality and intimacy can be affected and outline some general strategies and sources of support.
Upcoming Dates: TBC
Venue: Building 19, Level 2, Patient Lounge
Booking required
Wellbeing Centre on Level 3
We have committed to establishing a Cancer Wellbeing Centre integrated with our existing cancer services. The centre will be located on Level 3 of the Canberra Region Cancer Centre.
It provides a focus on your wellbeing and self-management and supports a truly holistic, patient-centred approach to cancer care. The Cancer Wellbeing Centre will have a big social area with kitchen and comfortable seating, where you, your family and carers can meet and connect with a range of support and community groups who can help make living with cancer that much easier.
In addition to our current program and services, the centre on Level 3 will house a range of wellbeing programs such as exercise physiology, group exercise and relaxation classes, art and music therapy, mindfulness, nutrition and cooking. Level 3 will also house the new Oncology Pharmacy and a Cancer Research Centre.
We expect to open Your Space at the end of 2023.
If you would like to support the Wellbeing Centre, please visit Canberra Hospital Foundation on how to donate.
Contact Us
Please contact us at (02) 5124 8444.
Cancer Research Highlights
Through the Canberra Region Cancer Centre our clinicians are actively engaged in a number of research activities including clinical trials, conference presentations and dedicated research projects.
A full list of research activities undertaken through the Canberra Region Cancer Centre can be found in our 2023 Research Highlights.