Fintona is a small rural community of around 1,500 people and is situated eight miles from Omagh. The Senior Citizens Club was set up in 2012 to counteract social isolation and to encourage peer interaction and mutual support to positively impact on health and wellbeing in the area.
This community of vibrant and energetic older people came together and embraced the partnership with their Pharmacist to explore the issues that they felt were impacting on them most. Poor community transport leads to isolation if steps are not taken to encourage people to make the effort to get out and about.
For their BCPP project they engaged with the Pharmacist and other partners that included Carers Trust, Red Cross and Neighbourhood Links. They used discussion groups and interactive talks to explore things that impact on health, diet, pain management, carer support and isolation. The high numbers in attendance reflected the “fun and the craic” involved and one member said “My daughter was taking me out for the day and I said OK but definitely not Tuesday, that’s my club day.”
Several approaches were used from formal training (First Aid) and participation to intense discussion groups and shared experience, especially of pain management. The pharmacist was present at all of the sessions and the Ulster Herald did a write up of the First Aid session in St Patrick’s Hall making everyone a star for the day!
47% of participants have made healthy changes to the way they live and now feel confident about approaching the pharmacist for help and support.
