Some 1,200 patients and their families availed of the services offered by a city based cancer support centre more than 5,500 times in the past year.
The Cancer Care West facility, which is based at 72 Seamus Quirke Road (opposite Westside Shopping Centre ), is open on a drop-in and appointment basis to people with cancer and their families from all over the west.
The state-of-the-art centre is one of the first facilities of its kind in the country offering vital psychological and emotional supports to people dealing with cancer
The centre is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and all services are free. These range from psychological support and counselling, complementary therapies, benefits advice, writing, art and yoga.
It also accommodates a range of support groups including a breast cancer and brain tumour support group. The first meeting of the prostate cancer support group will take place there on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the facility says it will offer a number of courses during the year.
“Over the next few weeks many of these courses will be commencing. These include a four week stress management course, an eight week mindfulness course and a three week nutrition class. If you would like to take part in any of these courses or avail of any of the services we offer, contact (091 ) 540040 or drop into the centre.
“Cancer Care West Support Centre is dedicated to providing support to anyone affected by cancer diagnosis in a safe and nurturing environment in a community setting. Patient care is the central focus of everything we do. Our priorities are to equip people affected by cancer with the practical and emotional support they need to maintain peace of mind and quality of life. If you are affected by cancer we hope that our services will be beneficial to you this year.”
