At Harlington Hospice, we provide an extensive Wellbeing Service that is free to those who need us. The services on offer range from complementary therapies such as massage, acupuncture, and reiki, to lymphoedema treatment and support.
One such service is the ‘Legs Eleven Lymphoedema Club’. This is a monthly self-treatment group where people living with lymphoedema meet in person for mutual support and education around the condition. Chris West, our Wellbeing and Therapy Lead, explains that the club’s aim is to “manage the patients who attend by helping them manage themselves” and to place people at the centre of their own care plans.
For those who attend, the club is not only important to their physical wellbeing through encouraging them to be mobile, but also to their emotional wellbeing by supporting them to socialise outside of their own home. When reflecting on their experience of the club, one attendee simply stated, “I’m not alone.”
In addition to Legs Eleven, one of the other ways we support people with lymphoedema is through Tripudio; a fun exercise class specifically designed to help with the management of the condition. Since the pandemic, these classes have been run remotely and therefore have been available to people in their own homes
