Patient Resources and Support Services

Cancer care can impact your family’s finances tremendously, which is called financial toxicity. Learn more about financial distress and ways to reduce it.

In addition, Financial Assistance Programs (PDF) has information that can help offset some medical and non-medical financial burden and organizations such as Cancer Care offer limited financial assistance to people with different types of cancer.

Your neuro-oncologist may recommend fertility preservation depending on your treatment plan. We work closely with the Columbia Oncofertility Program to help make fertility preservation more accessible.

Find more resources for fertility preservation by downloading Financial Resources for Fertility Preservation (PDF). 

Some neuro-oncology patients experience hair loss due to treatment. Your insurance plan may offer coverage for a wig (cranial prosthesis).

Low-cost wig options for people with cancer are offered by the American Cancer Society and Cancer Care.

Find more resources for hair loss by downloading Resources for Hair Loss (PDF). 

Between medical appointments, trips to the pharmacy, and other tasks to manage your care, spending quality time with your family can feel like a luxury that you no longer have time for. The Joyful Experience Resources Guide (PDF) lists free or low-cost leisure activities available to people or families affected by cancer.

Caring for someone with cancer can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually challenging. The Neuro-Oncology Division offers many resources to help support caregivers.

For help with keeping your loved one’s medical information organized and in one place please download Neuro-Oncology Patient Survivorship Plan (PDF). 

Caregiver Burnout describes a state of exhaustion that can occur due to the complexity of caring for someone with cancer. This is very common among those that care for someone with a brain tumor. Many people find the support of a home health aide invaluable to help alleviate caregiver burnout. Please look at Accessing Home Care NY.pdf to learn more about how to access home care in the state of New York.

We also offer a monthly Brain Tumor Caregiver support group. Please see the list of our support groups below.

If you must take time off work to manage your medical condition, then you may need disability insurance. There are two kinds that you may qualify for: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Learn more about SSDI and SSI. 

After two years of receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, you will automatically qualify for Medicare. Find more information.

The Compassionate Allowance program from the Social Security Administration helps reduce the amount of time that a person with a qualifying disability must wait before their disability application is approved. Many types of malignant brain tumors are compassionate allowance conditions. View the complete list of diagnoses. 

More information about applying for disability with a brain tumor is listed in our Applying for Disability with a Brain Tumor (PDF). 

Nicole Ross, LCSW, OSW-C, our licensed clinical social worker, has advanced training in meaning-centered psychotherapy and couple’s therapy. To make an appointment with her, please call 212-342-0571.

In addition to the support groups below, we also work closely with Columbia’s Psychosocial Oncology program to provide expert mental health support and medication management before, during, and after your treatment.

Advance directives allow you to declare your wishes about medical care you would want if you were unable to speak for yourself. We recommend that every patient completes a healthcare proxy, which is a simple form that you can use to appoint someone to make decisions for you. Every state has its own health care proxy form. If your state is not listed below, find the correct form for your state. 

Health care proxy forms for:

• New York
• New Jersey
• Connecticut

Other considerations:

• Jewish patients may find the Halachic Medical Directive helpful to ensure that the decisions your healthcare proxy makes are in accordance with Jewish law.
• What Matters to Me: A Workbook for People with Serious Illness (PDF) can help you think about your values to help prepare an advanced directive.

• Description:
  • This is a weekly group for young adults with brain tumors to connect with one another for emotional support. This is a positive space to express your thoughts and feelings related to living life with a brain tumor. Discussion topics include body image, infertility, anticipatory grief, dating and relationships, and scanxiety.
• Eligibility:
  • Who may join: Young adults ages 18-35 with a primary brain tumor who receive treatment at Columbia.
  • Registration required. After completing the registration form, a social worker will be in touch with you to complete the registration process. You will then receive a Zoom link for the next upcoming session.
  • You must be physically located in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania to attend.

• Description:
  • This is a monthly group for caregivers of patients with brain tumors, occurring on the last Wednesday of each month. Caregivers are invited to share their experience and feelings about taking care of their loved ones.
  • This group is hosted by the Keep Punching foundation and facilitated by Nicole Ross, LCSW, OSW-C.
• Eligibility:
  • Who may join: Caregivers of brain tumor patients
  • Registration is required.

• Description:
  • This is a group for anyone with a primary brain tumor, malignant or benign. Patients are invited to share their honest thoughts and feelings related to living life with a brain tumor. Discussion topics have included child (or grandchild) rearing while on treatment, Medicare enrollment, managing treatment-related side effects such as “chemo brain,” and coping with one’s diagnosis.
  • This group occurs in cycles throughout the year, usually running Fall-Spring.
  • This group is facilitated by the Neuro-Oncology Social Work Intern, who is supervised by the Division’s Social Worker.
• Eligibility:
  • Who may join: Anyone with a primary brain tumor (not brain metastases) who receives treatment at Columbia.
  • Registration required. After completing the registration form, a social worker will be in touch with you to complete the registration process. You will then receive a Zoom link for the next upcoming session.
  • You must be physically located in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania in order to attend.

• Description:
  • This is a biweekly, online support group for those who have lost someone to brain cancer or another chronic neurological disease, such as ALS or Parkinson's disease. In each session, we will discuss a different topic related to grief with the hope that participants will find unique ways to honor their loved one's memory. Your loved one must have received treatment at Columbia to join this group.
• Schedule: 
  • Session 1: January 26, 2026
  • Session 2: February 9, 2026
  • Session 3: February 23, 2026
  • Session 4: March 9, 2026
  • Session 5: March 23, 2026
  • Session 6: April 6, 2026
  • Session 7: April 20, 2026
  • Session 8: May 11, 2026
  • Session 9: May 18, 2026

Each session is from 1-2pm EST.

• Eligibility:
  • Caregivers of those who suffered from a chronic, long-term neurological disease such as glioblastoma, ALS, or Parkinson's disease
  • The death occurred one month before joining but not more than 1 year
  • Commitment to joining at least 6 sessions out of 9 total
  • Registration is required.
    • After completing the registration form, a social worker will be in touch with you to complete the registration process.
    • If you apply once the group has begun, we will place you on the waitlist for the next upcoming cycle.
• Facilitators:
  • Nicole Ross, LCSW, OSW-C
    Neuro-Oncology Social Worker
  • Linda Golding, MA, BCC
    Multifaith Chaplain at Columbia University Medical Center

In this workshop, you’ll learn more about applying for disability, accessing transportation, what your health insurance does and does not cover, and other resources for families affected by neurological illness.

Facilitated monthly by a licensed social worker who specializes in neurology.

• When: Second Wednesday of each month, 1-2 pm
• Where: Virtual workshop via Zoom