Symptom Management for Rural-Urban Cancer Survivors and Caregivers

This group will get weekly calls for 16 weeks and two follow-up assessments. Participants will be asked to rate their symptoms on a 0-10 scale at each call. This group will receive the SMSH, a printed evidence-based self-care management handbook with specific modules, that will be directed to use for symptoms rated 4 or higher on a 0-10 scale. For symptoms ≥7, participants will be asked to report the symptom to their provider. At each weekly call, participants will be asked: if they tried symptom self-management strategies and, if yes, which strategies were used. These calls will take 10-15 minutes. If during 8 weeks of SMSH, either the survivor or caregiver have distress (symptoms 4 or greater on a 0-10 scale) for any two consecutive weeks during weeks 2-8, TIP-C will be added for the dyad for 8 weeks. The addition of TIP-C can start between weeks 4 and 9. Dyads will continue the SMSH in addition to the TIPC. TIP-C calls will take 35-45 minutes.

The attention control arm will receive an NCI brochure: Facing Forward: Life After Cancer Treatment. This group will also get weekly calls for 16 weeks and complete two exit interviews. The NCI brochure will not be address, the purpose of these calls will only be to record participant's symptoms throughout the study. These calls will take about 10 minutes or less.