Thanks to funds raised through Dry July 2019, comfort and colour transforms cancer patient waiting areas
With the help of funds raised by 2019 Dry July participants, patients and carers are walking into more comfortable and welcoming space thanks to an upgrade of the Westmead Hospital Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre.
New lounges and chairs, phone charging stations, TV screens, sound absorption wall tiles, and a fresh colour scheme with Australian-themed artworks are among the features of the five overhauled patient waiting rooms, designed from scratch with consumer input.
Lung cancer patient and Vietnam War veteran Steven Chamulko said he appreciated the thought that went into the redesign.
“When you walk into somewhere that’s colourful, light and bright you feel better, rather than somewhere drab that gets you down,” Steven said.
“I’ve...
BRICC Wellness Centre benefits from 2019 Dry July funds!
The funds raised for BRICC Wellness Centre from last year’s Dry July campaign helped support the services on offer which are complimentary for patients of the facility and their families.
The patients utilised a range of services featured, all helping them throughout their journey, providing advice, guidance, support and a range of other services. Whether it was yoga, relaxation, mindfulness, bra and breast form fittings, art therapy, financial advice, all of these programs are of great benefit to BRICC patients.
Along with funding a range of offerings the Dry July campaign proudly supported the oncology massage program, which delivered nearly 1000 massages last year to cancer patients within the Ballarat and Grampians region.
A chance at life through exercise
By supporting ONJ Cancer Centre through Dry July you will help cancer patients reap the benefits of regular exercise during their treatment and recovery.
International research shows exercise is an effective therapy for cancer patients to improve their overall health and wellbeing while undergoing treatments such as chemotherapy. However, about 60 to 70 per cent of people with cancer do not do enough aerobic exercises and 80 to 90 per cent do not do enough resistance exercises during cancer treatment. People who are more physically active have lower recurrence rates, reduced metastatic rates and a higher chance of beating cancer as a disease.
Diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome in 2016, Lori Crupi’s world became one of chemotherapy,...
New sleep pods added in the Canberra Region Cancer Centre!
Through the wonderful support of the Dry July community in 2019, new sleep pods were added to the waiting areas in the Canberra Region Cancer Centre.
These sleep pods provide privacy and comfort for patients waiting between appointments and procedures. Fundraising for Canberra Hospital Foundation supports cancer patient in our region, many who travel long distances to receive treatment.
Your help allows the Foundation to fund the tea trolley for refreshments, floral displays throughout the Centre and our Therapeutic Harpist to provide a comforting and caring environment.
Kind Hands Massage Program
One of the many programs made possible through 2019 Dry July funding at the PA Hospital is the Kind Hands Massage Program.
As a result of an outpatient survey prepared by the Princess Alexandra Hospital’s (PAH) Cancer Services Division in 2018 examining what wellness meant for patients attending cancer services, and what could be done to improve their wellbeing, relaxation and massage were recurrent.
Subsequently, the Cancer Wellness Initiative group began working with PAH Volunteer Services to establish the Kind Hands Massage program in 2019. A select team of volunteers now offers gentle hand or foot massages to patients on Ward 2E and in Day Care Oncology on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the morning and afternoon.
Feedback from patients...
Solaris Cancer Care provide online wellness programs
Thanks to funds raised through Dry July 2019, Solaris Cancer Care have been providing comprehensive support to cancer patients during the COVID-19 crisis. Through their provision of online wellness programs and self-care services, Solaris have been running counselling delivered via Zoom, phone, or email to help manage stress, anxiety, depression, and social isolation given the current circumstances. Support Groups and Demonstrations via online classes have also been made available for cancer patients to access, to maintain optimal physical and mental wellbeing.
Eighty Looms, Eighty Families
One of many community projects made possible by Dry July your generous support is the Weaving into Wellbeing project. In collaboration with the Australian Tapestry Workshop in Melbourne, Nicole and the Carterie team distributed eighty hand looms throughout the hospital. Patients and visitors set to work weaving colourful layers of thread and cloth into simple tapestries. Over a period of months, the looms were completed and delivered back—some in the mail from patients and families who had gone home—and the tapestries were assembled into wall hangings. For most of the participants, weaving was a new skill. Intricate and absorbing, it helps to focus the mind and keep the hands busy during waiting periods or hospital stays.
The simple,...
Flinders Cancer Wellness Centre open thanks to Dry July
Thanks to Dry July participants and the generosity of the Dry July Foundation, patients and their families affected by cancer are now receiving additional support with a new Cancer Wellness Centre opened at Flinders in February 2020.
The new centre is the focal point of a new cancer wellness program, designed to ease the burden of cancer and address many of the unmet needs of patients and their families during and after cancer treatment – many of which can be lifelong.
This extra support focuses on a range of physical, educational, emotional and practical impacts which cancer can often have, including fatigue, anxiety, dietary, financial and employment concerns, among others. The centre will also be a valuable conduit in connecting...
The balcony garden funded by Dry July Foundation is complete!
Thanks to funds raised in Dry July 2019, The Royal Melbourne Hospital was able to develop a fresh look for their palliative unit by creating beautiful gardens for patients to enjoy.
The gardens have made a significant impact on patients during their stay at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, with staff receiving comments like, "It is lovely - it reminds me of my own garden."
Another patient who was at the hospital for end of life care loved the garden and requested to have her bed angled towards the garden at all times so that it was her view throughout the day.
Thanks to the funds raised by the 2019 Dry July Foundation, this wonderful addition to the Palliative Care and Supportive Care Unit has most certainly added to the quality of life to the...