Menopause Event at SERC Downpatrick Draws Local Women Together

Around seventy women from the wider Downpatrick area came to the SERC Campus recently to benefit from a menopause awareness event run in partnership with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT).

Hosted on World Menopause Awareness Day (18 October), the evening offered information, health checks, refreshments and relaxation. Level 3 Spa Therapy students delivered hand and arm massages, which were very popular, and visitors also took the opportunity to have blood pressure and glucose levels monitored by nurses, and to talk to representatives of around 20 support organisations who had stands around the campus foyer and in the sports hall.   

Guest speaker Deirdre Quinn, Training Development Manager with the Women’s Resource and Development Agency, delivered a talk on the need for continued awareness of breast cancer and of the importance of screening in later life. Eva McAlea of Empower Counselling Services, led a session exploring the power of breath-work to enhance health, support relaxation and even tackle hot flushes with the audience joining in to practise the various techniques.

Julie McAleese, Senior Social Worker with the SEHSCT, commented: “It was wonderful to see so many local women joining together in a relaxed environment, to discuss an issue which was once unmentionable, but which affects us all. Thanks are due to the many organisations who brought their information stands to the event, and to the fantastic SERC students whose hand and arm massages were very much appreciated by guests. I am confident that visitors left the SERC Downpatrick Campus refreshed, informed and relaxed, knowing that there is a network of support available to guide and to help women through the menopause.”  

Above: Heather McKee, Director,Strategic Planning Quality and Support, SERC, Eva McAlea. Empower Counselling Services, Julie McAleese,Senior Social Worker, SEHSCT and Deidre Quinn, Women’s Resource and Development Agency.