BLF virtual event for support group members
In Dr Andy’s latest blog, he talks about how lung health and mental health go hand in hand, and why it’s important to pay attention to them both.
Embracing going digital
This last year has been very challenging for BLF Support Groups. We have been impressed with how many have embraced a new way of working and moved to meeting virtually. Due to this, we have held four virtual networking events for volunteers since June last year. The success of these lead to us organising an event for group members. This was something new to us so we had no idea how many members would attend the event and if they would find it useful.
The aim of the event was to improve health, wellbeing, and self-management as well as it being a great opportunity for members to network.
Guest speakers and breakout rooms
We were really pleased to have Dr Alison Cook (Director of External Affairs) as our guest speaker. Alison spoke about the importance of Community Pharmacists; include why they are useful and how accessible they are. She gave information about the services they offer and how they can help manage lung conditions. This was followed by questions and answers. Feedback from this showed how important the services community pharmacists offer are to members especially during the pandemic.
We received the following feedback from a group member “Your pharmacy speaker was so informative”. You can watch Alison’s talk here.
Alongside our guest speaker, members pre-booked into breakout rooms when they registered for the event. Via the magic of zoom, they were moved into these rooms with ease during the event!
The breakout room speakers and topics were:
· Lily Schofield Medical Affairs Assistant Nutricia - ‘Eating Well for Healthier Lungs’
· Kath (Mickey) Mascarenhas Respiratory Nurse AUK and BLF Partnership – Asthma
· Sue Kropf Respiratory Nurse AUK and BLF Partnership - COPD
· Doon Jackson Counsellor – Managing anxiety and isolation
· Debra Murphy AUK and BLF Partnership - Helpline
· Kelly Rahmen AUK and BLF Partnership - Long COVID project
· Jessica Eagleton AUK and BLF Partnership – Policy and Public Affairs
Our members really engaged with these topics, asked varied questions, and gave us lots of ideas. Members showed an interest in becoming involved further with the work we do including our campaigns and long COVID project which is really positive.
We finished off the event with an uplifting chair-based Zumba session delivered by Anne Little who is an exercise practitioner with over 30 years of experience. People were unsure what to expect from the session. At the start of the event, only 22% said they were looking forward to this but by the end, 51% of attenders said the Zumba was what they enjoyed most about the event. It’s lovely to see staff and our members throwing themselves into this. One member said “So much fun. Loved it.” Here’s the clip of a taster of Anne’s session.
The event was a huge success. We were delighted that 78 members attended and that 39 groups were represented. Polls taken on the day showed that 98% of people said they learned something and 100% said they would attend an event like this again.
Support groups offer tips for managing lung health, as well as activities like singing or exercise. You can find out more about support groups on our website.
We empower people with asthma to make changes that can be transformative.
Please donate now to help make sure people with asthma can live well this year.
Other health advice posts you may like:
Other posts you may like
