Kristin Scheeler, MSSW, CAPSW, OSW-C works for the Jasper Health, Patient Experience. We were excited to learn more about Jasper from Kristin in this week’s blog.  

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For nearly fifteen years, I’ve been working as an oncology social worker supporting people whose lives have been touched by cancer. I’ve worked in homes, in a cancer clinic, and at an oncology information phone line—and one of the throughlines of all of this work is the overwhelm and exhaustion that patients and their families experience when they are first faced with a cancer diagnosis. It can feel like you can’t think rationally and you don’t know what you don’t know. It’s enough to tip the most stable person off-balance.

For the past several months, I’ve been helping the team at Jasper develop tools and resources to help people manage the overwhelm of being diagnosed with cancer. Simply, Jasper is a smart planner for your cancer care. Launched in October 2020, Jasper offers a personalized
support experience for cancer patients. Users enter information about themselves and their diagnosis to receive personalized recommendations and ideas about how to navigate their to-dos, what to expect during and after treatments or surgery, and suggestions for how to cope with symptoms and side effects. With Jasper, you can invite close loved ones and friends onto your “care team,” where they can stay apprised of your appointments and how you’re feeling, and also help you whittle down your “to-do” list.

In addition, when you use the Jasper HelpList, you can respond to anyone asking, “let me know how I can help” by showing them what you most need help with—whether that is purchasing a head covering (from a survivor-owned business) or getting food into your home via Instacart or DoorDash.

It’s been a pleasure to offer insight related to my experiences working directly with patients and their caregivers to make Jasper a useful tool, information hub, and one-stop shop for those who need a place to start after their diagnosis. I can’t tell you the relief I have encountered in talking to those who have started using Jasper.

Starting this week, through a new partnership with Jasper, Casting for Recovery participants can receive a free consultation with me. I can offer a free Jasper tour, help navigate you to national resources, and offer an empathetic ear. Sometimes it’s a relief just to be able to talk to someone who “gets it.”

Jasper is meant to be helpful to anyone at any stage in their cancer experience and recovery, and will continually improve based on the recommendations and feedback of its users. It’s free to use and will never sell your information. We care about being the right thing for you at the right time. Check it out at www.hellojasper.com, and if you’re a Casting for Recovery participant in 2021, keep your eyes open for additional information about how to schedule a consult.