Cancer Care West to extend support for patients and families

Community-based charity Cancer Care West is to extend support for cancer patients and their families across four western counties from next year.

The Galway-based charity, which provides accommodation and psychological support for people undergoing cancer treatment, intends to provide weekly psycho-oncology services in Ballinasloe, Co Galway; Castlebar, Co Mayo; Sligo; and Letterkenny, Co Donegal from early 2015.

Publishing its annual report, the charity noted that its support centre in Westside, Galway city, was visited more than 6,000 times by almost 1,300 people.

Its most popular services, provided at no charge, were psychological therapy and counselling, oncology information, advice on benefits and complementary therapies.

It also provided home-from-home accommodation last year at its hostel, Inis Aoibhinn, for 324 people undergoing hospital treatment, extending from Donegal to Tipperary.

Accommodation

In addition, it provided accommodation for 17 families of people from outside the Galway area who were undergoing long-term cancer treatment.

The charity has to raise €1 million annually through fundraising events to cover its budget of €1.5 million, with the balance subsidised by the Health Service Executive.