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Pink Ladies and Pink Panthers

Address/Town: 
Derry
Pharmacy Partner: 
Bradley's Pharmacy
Community Organisations Worked With: 
Drink Think

Pink Ladies are a cancer support group that have been running for 11 years.  They offer support to anyone that has had a cancer diagnosis and also their family and friends.  They provide a range of support services and activities to enable those affected to come to terms with life during and after treatment.  They were funded for a Level 1 BCPP project that was made up of 6 sessions with their local Pharmacist Rachael Dunne, Bradley’s Pharmacy, Springtown.  For this project they brought together 18 men who were cancer patients and survivors with a goal of giving them the confidence to make positive changes.

The participants met up with their pharmacist at the start of the programme to decide what they would like to cover in each session and were very vocal with their opinions. 

Partnering with Drink Think for a ‘Drink Wise, Age Well’ session on alcohol was very well received as they have seen first-hand how alcohol is used as a means to cope with the difficulties and stress that comes with their situation.  They covered drinking facts and truths around binge drinking and social drinking. There was a lot of chat about the misuse of alcohol and medication and the dangers of mixing both as most participants are on prescribed drugs and had no idea how excessive consumption of alcohol could cause unwanted side effects or even decrease what their medication was doing to help them.  The group were very honest and had asked a lot of questions which the pharmacist covered including some answers in private when it was of a sensitive nature.

The group covered mental health in different ways by looking at ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’ and ‘Clearing your Head’.  These sessions enabled the group to discuss the effects of a poor diet on your mental health and was very relevant to the participants who had had bowel cancer and had made healthy changes to their diet in recent times.   They also covered the importance of taking time out and how to have control over your feelings which was very beneficial.

The most positive aspect of the project was that at the end, all the participants were confident enough to walk in to places for help and support regarding issues affecting them.  One man admitted that he felt like he was annoying his GP but now he is confident that he can speak to Rachael at any time.  This has resulted in him feeling less anxious as he often would have waited up to a week for an appointment with his GP.

Pink Ladies have recently secured funding for a Level 2 BCPP project where they will work with 15 male and female members who are survivors, family members and carers.

Pictured are the Pink Panthers doing their Healthy Cooking evening as part of the BCPP programme.  This allowed the group to discuss the importance of healthy eating and how to prepare and cook a healthy meal.

 

 

 

 

 

Area: 
Western Trust
Level: 
Level 2 - £10K Grant