‘I didn’t go out as I was in pain, the less I talked to people, the more down I started to feel’
Ena Kerr (77), from Londonderry, has battled cancer twice and struggled with painful chronic health conditions. At her lowest ebb, she didn’t even have the strength or confidence to leave the house. But now she’s found joy in life again thanks to a project that recently received more than £3m in National Lottery funding.
Ena was a regular at her local GP surgery because of longterm health conditions, but she was also lonely and needed help beyond medication.
“I have type 2 diabetes, angina and degeneration of the spine, so I’ve always had a lot to cope with,” she says.
“But it was the cancer that really started me on a downward spiral — I battled cancer twice within a couple of years, unrelated to each other.
“I had cancer of the womb, and had a hysterectomy. Then I discovered I had breast cancer, and had a mastectomy. Both times I was very lucky that I caught them early and I didn’t have to have chemotherapy, but having the surgery was a big thing to process and it was very hard mentally.
“I even had my funeral arranged because I was so sure that I didn’t have long left, and it’s always in the back of my mind that it might come back.”
Ena’s close friends and family helped her get through it, but she still felt alone and started on a downward spiral of becoming more and more isolated.
“I stopped leaving the house because I was in pain — standing and walking is very sore.
“I got used to going on the internet and ordering everything online. The less I talked to people, the more down I felt, and the less I felt like talking to anyone.
“I’ve three children. The two boys have moved away, but my daughter, Lynda, lives nearby and is always checking on me.
“Sometimes I don’t feel like answering the phone, but Lynda will always turn up and tell me off because she’s worried about me.
“I couldn’t get by without my dog, a miniature Yorkshire called Daisy Mhor — she’s four
and a half and keeps me company. I’m able to take her for very short walks, but apart from that my only motivations for wanting to get out were going to the GP, the chemist and buying food.”
As a regular to the GP, Ena’s doctor thought she could benefit from attending some classes in the community to get her out of the house, get active and help reduce her loneliness.
The GP surgery was taking part in a pilot social prescribing project run by the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum in Londonderry that used GPs to link older patients who could benefit from non-medical support through activities in their community.
The project helped to improve the patients’ health but also reduced pressure on GPs by decreasing the amount of unnecessary appointments being made by people who needed alternative care.
The pilot was so successful that it was recently awarded just over £3m of National Lottery cash from the Big Lottery Fund to develop a three-year project to support adults across Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum will lead on the project in Northern Ireland, which will work with 60 GP practices in partnership with the Healthy Living Centre Alliance and the five health and social care trusts.
Ena wasn’t aware of classes within her community which could help her and wouldn’t have had the confidence to sign up for them without the push from her GP.
“I was unsure about the scheme, but I thought I’d give it a go,” she says.
“Bronagh, from the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum, came to see me and we decided that keep-fit classes would be good for my mobility and get me out of the house.
“I was nervous, so I started with one-to-one classes with Davy. He was brilliant and I surprised myself by finding that I loved going. I haven’t lost any weight, but I’m able to move better and it lifts my mood so much. I feel great about myself. After six weeks, I joined a group class.
“We have so much fun. It’s the highlight of my week. The group is so welcoming. They want to talk to me and listen to me, and I feel part of something.
“My health is improving — my blood sugar levels are better and I’m in less pain. I haven’t been going to the doctor as much and I feel so inspired by Davy that I’m doing exercises at home now too.
“My confidence has grown so much, and it’s all thanks to the doctor referring me. I would never have had the confidence to join one without that push.
“I’ve decided to join a second class too, so I’ll now be going twice a week.
“I would also love to do a night class at tech, like English A-level. I feel like I could do that now — if it wasn’t for my bad memory.
“I lost my cheekiness for a while, but I’m feeling like myself again, and I have my spark back.
“I’m feeling younger and although I still have lows, I’m not hiding away as I much as before.
“I put my lipstick on and I look out at the world with a smile — my daughter taught me that.”