We reported in April that Macmillan and LinkAge have joined forces to help older people affected by cancer in Bristol. On Friday 17th July the project was officially launched at the University Hospital Bristol’s Training and Education Centre. One of the highlights was a film featuring some of the amazing older people who take part in LinkAge activities who either have cancer themselves or are caring for a cancer patient. We also had some challenging facts from Catherine Neck of Macmillan about the increase in cancer diagnoses among older people. This is where projects like this one come in – to help older people with cancer live well and stay healthy. With our custom database and the right self assessment tools, we can register participants and help them track their progress and keep tabs on how they feel. We hope to show that being involved in community-based activities, whether physical, creative or purely social, improves people’s wellbeing throughout their cancer journey.
The event was particularly aimed at medical and other professionals who come into contact with older people daily, and can help to refer them to LinkAge under the new scheme. We had consultants, nurses, and support workers in the audience as well as a good number of representatives from Macmillan Cancer Support. Canon Dr John Savage, the Chairman of University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust and President of the Anchor Society, kindly hosted the event and made everyone welcome.
The message is that anyone aged 55 or over can be referred to LinkAge by their consultant, their GP, their specialist nurse, etc. People can also refer themselves, as long as they keep their GP informed. All we need is the patient’s name and contact details, given to us with their permission. LinkAge will do the rest!