SESARAM has announced that the Oncology Patient Emotional Support Consultation (CAEDO) initiative will cover all AMR Health Centres.
This oncology support community consultation project will provide both nursing and psychotherapeutic services to help promote emotional support for cancer sufferers and their families, throughout the various and often difficult stages of the disease, with the intention of minimising the impact cancer has on sufferers and their families.
As with all new initiative rollouts, the project will start at the Santo António Health Centre under the direction of nurse Ana Pereira. Moreover, training has already been carried out between October and December 2022 for all nurses specialising in mental and psychiatric health nursing, so that the service can reach other primary health care units, thus addressing a long-identified need.
For SESARAM, this will contribute to improving the quality of life and care provided to cancer sufferers and their families.
Furthermore, psychoeducational sessions will take place once a month from February at the Santo António Health Centre. The first lecture will take place on the 22nd of February between 16:00 – 17:00 at the health centre auditorium, and cover ‘The Emotional Side of Cancer.’ Other talks will look at the role of the family in the management of the disease. Where are the children? New couple dynamics and living after cancer, which is vitally important as the after-effects of chemotherapy can be just as daunting, humiliating, debilitating and frightening as the cancer treatment itself.
This is a vital initiative for all cancer sufferers and their families. With so many different types of cancer, many feel isolated and unable to discuss their feelings and fears as their bodies and minds change and react to treatment.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
