Massage therapist and reflexologist employed at aberdeen unit
Cancer patients get expert help to relax and cope
Published:
Cancer patients at an Aberdeen hospital can now put themselves in the hands of an expert at melting away the tension and anxiety of coping with their illness.
Massage therapist and reflexologist Helen Young has been employed to soothe the muscles and minds of patients in the Anchor – Aberdeen and North Haematology, Oncology and Radiotherapy – unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
She comes with 15 years’ experience of working with cancer sufferers at the Cancer Link Aberdeen and North (Clan) centre in the city and will continue to work closely with services there and at Roxburghe House. This will be the first time she has been part of the hospital team.
Her appointment has been funded by Friends of Anchor, the charity set up to provide additional comfort, care and support to patients in the unit.
Mrs Young, one of the pioneers in the use of massage and reflexology for cancer patients in the north-east, is excited about being able to take her therapy a step further and hopes other hospitals will follow the Anchor unit’s example.
“People in the cancer and haematology wards have all kinds of physical, mental and emotional needs, and massage and reflexology can go a long way towards helping them,” she said.
“If someone comes to me with a sore back, I can probably fix it. But if someone who is being treated for cancer comes to me with aches and pains, they are probably tied up with the anxiety they have been feeling since their diagnosis. I’m not going to cure them but, if I can help them relax and make them feel better about themselves, I can maybe ease some of the tension and leave them better placed to cope with their treatment.”
Fiona Pearson, Friends of Anchor’s fundraising manager, said Mrs Young’s arrival had been a real tonic for patients and staff were already noticing improvements in their wellbeing.
“What is lovely about what Helen does for patients is that it isn’t medical,” she said. “It isn’t an injection or tablets or an examination.
“ It’s about someone taking the time to sit down and make them feel better about themselves.”
