Support services include:
- Counselling
- Complementary Therapies
- Advocacy / Peer Support
- Welfare Benefits Advice
- Family Support Sessions
- Get Active Programmes e.g. yoga, swimming
- Fatigue Management Programme
- Stress Management
- Vital Nutrition Programme
- Feel Good Factor Workshops
- Tailored Support for those aged 60+
- Female Support Group and Annual Respite Residential
- Male Wellbeing Events
- Creative Workshops
- Carers Support Programme
COUNSELLING
We are aware that our Counselling service has been a real lifeline to many of our clients supporting you through a very difficult time in your life, as a result of a cancer diagnosis. Counselling can be by telephone or face to face. To access this service, please contact the office.
COMPLIMENTARY THERAPIES
Before the pandemic our clients could come to Cancer Lifeline to avail of one-to-one massage, aromatherapy or reflexology treatments. Throughout the pandemic this was not possible so Cancer Lifeline have been supporting clients to take up Bach Flower Remedies & Aromatherapy blends over the past year. This is carried out over the telephone with Mary Connolly our lead Complementary Therapist. Bach Flower Remedies are useful to help us respond to and manage our emotions. They are totally safe and may help with the strain on our emotions during the pandemic. Aromatherapy blends are very useful for dealing with pain, managing our breath as well as supporting us to deal with stress and anxiety. Many of you are already benefitting from these and we want to ensure you can still access them.
Please contact us by telephone and we can arrange for Mary to contact you by phone for a consultation. Mary will then make you up a blend and we will arrange to have the blends posted or delivered to your home.
Face Time Support with the therapist…
Face to face phone calls can really help when there are some difficulties trying to explain something without seeing the other person. These calls with the therapist can help bring the conversation to life and support you with particular problems or concerns including dealing with pain, stiffness after surgery, talking through breathing techniques to reduce stress and anxiety, talking about self-care after chemotherapy, or radiotherapy or how to care for your skin, or gently massaging a site wound. Again, simply contact the office and we can arrange a consultation for you.
FATIGUE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES (delivered via Zoom)
Fatigue is a feeling of tiredness and lack of energy that everyone will experience at some time during and / or after a cancer diagnosis and its treatments. The effects of Fatigue will be different for everyone but can cause great difficulty with doing everyday activities that are important to us – Fatigue can make you feel frustrated, over-whelmed and depressed. Fatigue is also now known to be one of the long-term side effects of Covid-19, which is affecting so many of us now too. In this session you will hear from other people who are maybe experiencing the same feelings & symptoms as you. It will help you to understand the courses of fatigue and will provide some useful advice, tips and techniques to help you to start to overcome fatigue. Start to make positive changes to your energy levels, mood, wellbeing and quality of life.
Date: Tuesday 25th May 2021, Tuesday 14th Sept 2021
Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
NUTRITION PROGRAMMES (delivered via Zoom)
GET YOUR BOUNCE BACK
Life has thrown a few curveballs at us recently and most of us are feeling the effects.
If you need a healthy kickstart and a helping hand to get your energy and health back on track, then Vital Nutrition’s Jane McClenaghan is here to help.
Join Jane for this special post-lockdown zoom class to help you get your bounce back!
You will get:
- A nutrition action plan to help refresh your energy, balance your immunity and put the spring back in your step
- A tour of my kitchen cupboards and tips on what foods to put on your shopping list
- Store cupboard essentials so you are never stuck for a quick and healthy meal
- Get Your Bounce Back e-book to get you back on track
Date: Thursday 17th June 2021 Time: 10.30am – 11.30am
STRESS LESS
As we all struggle to adjust to a new way of working - from social distancing to remembering to pack your hand sanitiser and mask along when you go out, making a few savvy choices in the food we eat can make all the difference to our levels of stress and anxiety.
In this zoom class, Vital Nutrition’s Jane McClenaghan has loads of ideas to help you manage stress and support your mental well-being in this ’new normal’.
- The link between diet and anxiety - what helps and what hinders
- What to eat for better resilience to stress
- How to beat feeling overwhelmed
- Simple tips and trick to help your rest and relax
Date: Thursday 23rd Sept 2021 Time: 10.30 – 11.30am
HEALTH & WELLBEING SESSIONS (delivered via Zoom)
Topic 1: Stretch into Spring – Stretching into spring with fun & letting go of winter confinement. Let’s get the cobwebs swept away and explore a new perspective on positive thinking and letting go of old patterns and ways, that no longer serve us. Teaching the mind to let go of unwanted thoughts and embrace affirmations which empower us to lead fitter lives.
Date: Tuesday 27th April 2021 Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Topic 2: Aromatherapy at Home – Safe & fun ways to use essential oils at home. Learn how the oils can help us with aches & pains, breathing, stress and anxiety. Your questions will be addressed as we explore and talk about how the most popular oils can help you.
Date: Tuesday 11th May Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Topic 3: The Art of Relaxation – Most of us admit to not knowing who to relax properly.
This session will explore different ways in which to really release stress and let go of the
pressure and tenseness held in our bodies, helping us to ground our energies.
Date: Tuesday 15th June 2021 Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Topic 4 Bach Flower Remedies – Dr Bachs original flower remedies are a system of 38 flower remedies that can affect our emotions positively. They are totally safe for everyone and can help with pain, anxiety, poor sleep, and low mood. This has been evidenced over the past year, with so many of Cancer Lifeline clients tapping into them to help support them during the pandemic. This session will identify how the different remedies can help your individual needs.
Date: Tuesday 7th September 2021 Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
PEER SUPPORT
If you have been diagnosed with cancer and would like to talk to one of our committee members who all have experience of a cancer diagnosis, we can arrange for one of them to call you for a chat.
POP CHATS
Would you like the opportunity to meet up with others in Cancer Lifeline for a cuppa & catch up (pending restrictions). This may help if you are feeling low, lonely or isolated and would like some face to face social contact with other members. We plan to host some small informal group “get togethers” called POP CHATS.
Dates: Thursday 9th, 16th 30th Sept 2021 Time: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Remember to contact the office / mobile number to reserve your place 02890 351999 07949109091
8.ADVOCACY/STAFF SUPPORT CALLS
Staff are continuing to keep in touch with you to respond to your needs and link you into Cancer Lifeline’s services and those of other organisations. Some examples include; Welfare Benefits Advice, Local foodbanks, referrals to Social Work in the Community and Hospital, Breast Care Nurses, Call Management, Hospice, Housing, Community, Voluntary groups and other Charities and other allied Health Professionals. If you would like to chat about any of these or are struggling with any other issues or concerns, again please contact the office where we will do our best to help.
PRE RECORDED WELLBEING VIDEOS
We currently have some short wellbeing videos on our website www.cancerlifeline.info These cover a range of topics such as good nutrition and building your immune system with Jane McClenaghan. Mary Connolly also presents topics on Gentle Movement and Stretching and Coping with Stress and Anxiety. You can click on and watch these when it suits you best, supporting you to feel well. We appreciate that not everyone will have access to the internet to watch but we know some of you will, so take the time to enjoy and watch as often as you like.
FAMILY SUPPORT (delivered via Zoom)
Do you need support to talk to your children about Cancer?
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be a very worrying time for children and teenagers. As adults we worry about how we should explain the situation to them. Often, we are afraid to say the wrong thing. During these sessions, Rachel the Family Support Worker from Cancer Focus will help you explore the right words to use to talk to each other and work through any concerns or worries.
Date: Wed 5th May, Wed 2nd June, Wed 8th Sept
Time: 10.30am – 12.00pm
