Advice and support available
Macmillan @ Fauldhouse Partnership Centre I n formation and Support Service for people living with cancer and their families in West Lothian is set to open in Fauldhouse.
The new service will be available from Tuesday (July 18) between 10am and noon and will be available at the same time every Tuesday.
A partnership between West Lothian Council and Macmillan Cancer Support, the service is available for anyone affected by cancer, including the person with a cancer diagnosis, family, friends and carers. The service can be accessed at any point in the cancer journey, no appointment is necessary. Visitors can drop in to use the service.
Trained volunteers provide emotional and practical support, access to information materials on various types of cancer and its treatment, or simply provide a listening ear for people.
People can also be signposted to other support services such as benefits advice and counselling.
The information and support service is provided by volunteers who offer a listening ear and time to talk about the non-clinical aspects of living with cancer. The volunteers are supported by West Lothian Council staff. Volunteers are currently needed to join the team. Volunteers can come from any background and full training and support will be provided.
Executive councillor for health and care, Harry Cartmill said: “I’m delighted to hear about the opening of this new service - there was an amazing and somewhat distressing statistic released over the weekend which asserted that more people resident in Scotland contract cancer than get married. We have all lost family and friends through cancer so support from Macmillan accessible to residents in Fauldhouse is a welcome development.”
The new service at Fauldhouse Partnership Cent re f o l l ows the successful introduction of the Information and Support Service for people living with cancer and their families at Bathgate and Strathbrock partnership centres. During the next 12- months a number of cancer information and support service desk will open across West Lothian. If you, or someone you know, are affected by cancer there is someone you can turn to for help. For more details call 01506 283053.