by Louise Doyle
A LETTERKENNY based cancer support charity has seen a surge in the number of people availing of its services, and has warned funding its work into the future will be a “constant concern.”
Cancer Care West has said the increased demand on its services was both “challenging” and “predicted” in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The charity, which provides practical and emotional support services to anyone whose life has been affected by a cancer diagnosis, has said it expects to see a continued rise in demand in contact and service provision.
In 2022, it provided support to over 2,700 people from their centres on the Pearse Road in Letterkenny and in Galway.
Figures contained in Cancer Care West’s annual report reveal the charity also provided nearly 7,500 bed-nights at Inis Aoibhinn, their residential facility at Galway University Hospital, for patients undergoing radiotherapy. Almost 100 people availed of the free transport service provided by the charity.
CEO of the charity, Richard Flaherty said: “The surge in demand for our services post-pandemic meant that 2022 was a challenging year for us.
Looking forward, we expect demand for our services will continue to increase, while the ongoing difficult economic conditions along with the increased cost of providing such specialised services means funding our work into the future will be a constant concern.”
Despite the challenges, the charity continues to innovate and grow their services.
One of their key highlights during the year was the rollout of the Children United in Bereavement Support (CUBS) programme, an eight-week intervention for children aged seven to 12 whose parent has died from cancer.
Another key highlight was the launch of an cancer-rehabilitation service, offered by their specially trained Exercise Physiologist at their purpose built gym in their support centre on Seamus Quirke road.
The charity also introduced an Expressive Writing programme, giving participants the opportunity to process their cancer diagnosis through the medium of the written word.
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