Results of cancer prevention initiative to be presented to EU Parliament
The Urban Action Against Cancer (UcanACT) pilot project in Kilkenny saw 62 adults aged 50 and over take part in physiotherapist-led exercise programmes across three parks last year.
It was part of a three-city pilot also held in Bologna in Italy, and Munich in Germany, which aims to provide community-based outdoor exercise programmes led by experts as a preventative and cancer support tool for over-50s.
The Irish men and women taking part included people living with cancer, cancer survivors and individuals without a diagnosis.
The results of the pilot will be presented by Kilkenny County Council, the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists and the EU partners to the EU Parliament on Wednesday for assessment for wider rollout.
The project will also be showcased as part of Your Council Day on June 27, which celebrates the services and work carried out by Ireland's county and city councils.
Patrick Griffin, a Kilkenny-based prostate cancer survivor, who took part in the pilot said: 'An exercise regime was suggested to me because decreased energy is a common side-effect following radiation therapy.
'I always walked for fitness and never had an interest in gyms, but my wife had mentioned that I was slouching on our walks together,' the 78-year-old said.
'I noticed many benefits as a result of the programme: my posture is better and my overall energy and concentration are stronger.
'The team were so well organised. They were genuinely watching out for each individual, adjusting exercises where needed, which is of massive benefit.'
Over three years, Kilkenny County Council led the local implementation of UcanACT, working alongside the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) and EU partners.
The project aimed to create a safe space where people could exercise at their own pace, tailored to their abilities, participants reported feeling encouraged and supported.
Janette Boran, Healthy Kilkenny co-ordinator at the county council, said participants saw significant benefits.
'Through focus groups, participants shared their positive experiences, highlighting key benefits such as improved fitness, better balance and strength, improved sleep quality, stronger social connections and reduced anxiety,' she said.
'The results of this study also reported that participants had significant reduction in fatigue and improvement in quality-of-life scores.
'Many also mentioned how exercising outdoors was important for their mental wellbeing.
'The programme has received strong support from the participants, and many who took part reported that they were surprised at what they were able to achieve with the guidance of a physiotherapist.
'The sessions were individualised within a group setting, so the full group met together but the activity was very tailored to accommodate the varied needs of the participants.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
17 hours ago
- NBC News
Supreme Court turns away online censorship claim by RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine group against Meta
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday turned away without comment a claim brought by the group formerly run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alleging that its anti-vaccine speech was censored by social media company Meta Platforms. Kennedy, now the Health and Human Services secretary in the Trump administration, founded and was the former chairman of the group, Children's Health Defense, which had sued Meta, the operator of sites such as Facebook and Instagram. The justices left in place lower court rulings that tossed out the lawsuit, which claimed Facebook, starting in 2019, colluded with the federal government to restrict access to its content. The issue came to a head during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Facebook removing the group's page in 2022. Children's Health Defense brought claims under the Constitution's First and Fifth Amendments as well as other laws. Lower courts, including the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled in favor of Meta, saying there was no evidence of coordination with the government, meaning it was not a "state actor" bound by the First Amendment. As a private entity, Meta was therefore free to decide for itself what content to platform, the courts ruled.
Daily Mirror
19 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Brits heading to Spain, France and Greece this summer issued '24-hour warning'
Brits heading on summer holidays to Spain, France, Greece, Portugal and more European destinations have been warned of one essential task to complete now Parents have been warned they could have just 24 hours left to complete an essential bit of admin ahead of the summer holidays. Brits who are planning to head to the likes of Spain, France, Greece and Portugal may have their documents in order and their bookings confirmed, but there's one crucial task that they won't want to forget, or it could cause headaches on trips abroad. Alicia Hempsted, travel insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, has warned that there are "just hours" left to apply for essential health cover ahead of the school holidays. Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) mean that if you face a medical emergency when travelling to Europe, you can access state healthcare on the same basis as a resident in that country. You can apply on the NHS website for free, and once you have it, the GHIC lasts for up to five years. However, it's currently estimated that 1.53million cards are set to expire this year, so parents are being urged to check their documents and apply now for a renewal, to ensure it arrives in time for the summer holidays. Alicia explained: "With schools in England breaking up for summer as early as Friday 18th July, some parents now have just 24 hours remaining to apply for their Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) to ensure they arrive in time. "Free to apply for and lasting for up to five years, applying for a GHIC card couldn't be simpler. Visit the NHS website, provide the appropriate details and then wait 24 hours for your application to be approved. It is important to note that each family member requires a GHIC card, so parents will need to complete one for each child. Once approved, your card will be sent to your address and should arrive within 15 working days." It's worth noting that a GHIC card is not a replacement for travel insurance. Alicia added: "Having the appropriate travel insurance before your holiday is vital, as there are several things that GHIC doesn't cover, such as medical repatriation or treatment in a private health facility should you need it." Of course it's not jut your GHIC card that you'll need to check before a holiday. Brits have been warned to check their passports amidst new rules since Brexit. Most notably, rules have changed around what passports are considered valid. To travel to the EU, your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the date of departure and must have been issued less than 10 years ago. If it falls foul of these two criteria, you could risk being denied boarding at the airport - and travel insurance is unlikely to cover you because they often warn that it's your responsibility to check your documents are valid for your holiday. Parents may also want to double check their children's passports even if their own are valid. That's because a child's passport is only valid for five years, so you'll want to make sure there's plenty of time to apply for a new one if you need to!
NBC News
20 hours ago
- NBC News
Fears grow for Gaza hospital chief who walked toward Israeli tanks before arrest
Surrounded by bomb-struck buildings, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya walked down the middle of a road strewn with debris, his white medical coat standing out against the rubble as he made his way toward Israeli tanks. The footage, taken in late December and verified by NBC News, is the last time the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza was seen before he was taken into custody by Israeli soldiers laying siege to the complex. Before his detention, Abu Safiya, 51, who became the head of Kamal Adwan in 2024, was the lead physician in Gaza for MedGlobal, a Chicago-based nonprofit that has partnered with local health care workers since 2018 and arranges volunteer medical missions to the enclave. The organization's co-founder, Dr. John Kahler, told NBC News in a phone interview on Thursday that he was 'very afraid' that Abu Safiya won't 'make it out alive' from detention. He added that the physician was 'a friend of mine, a hero, mentor,' who, among other things, had helped to establish nutrition stabilization centers in the Gaza Strip. On visits to Gaza, Kahler said, he had never seen any indication that Abu Safiya was linked with the Hamas militant group that has run the enclave since 2007, or any suggestion that it was operating inside the Kamal Adwan Hospital. Five other members of MedGlobal's team have also been detained, and on Monday, the organization called for the release of scores of health workers detained by Israel, including Abu Safiya. 'Israeli authorities have repeatedly and blatantly violated international humanitarian law in repeated detentions of and attacks on health care workers,' it said in a joint letter published on Monday alongside several other organizations, including Human Rights Watch. Their call for the 'immediate, unconditional release' of detained health workers came as concern is growing for the health of Abu Safiya, who has been detained for more than six months without charge, according to his colleagues, family and legal team. Abu Safiya's son Elias Abu Safiya said in a WhatsApp message that he was concerned for his father's physical and mental health, which he said legal advocates had told him were in a 'difficult' state, although he added they had not been able to visit him for some time. After initially denying he was in custody, the Israeli military said in a January statement that Abu Safiya had been involved 'in terrorist activities' and held 'a rank' in Hamas that it said had made the Kamal Adwan Hospital a stronghold during the war. But according to the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, a nongovernmental organization that advocates for the people of Gaza and has been providing legal support to Abu Safiya, no formal charges had been made against the hospital director as of Thursday. Asked for an update on Abu Safiya's case on Friday, the Israeli military did not immediately respond. But a spokesperson for the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said Thursday that he was still being detained in Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, where he faced dire conditions, inadequate food and overcrowded cells. In a statement to NBC News on Friday, the Israeli Defense Forces said it acts in accordance with both the country's 'and international law, and protects the rights of individuals held in detention facilities under its responsibility.' It added that 'any abuse of detainees, whether during their detention or during interrogation, violates the law and the directives of the IDF and as such is strictly prohibited.' Abu Safiya's family and colleagues have staunchly denied the allegations against him, while United Nations officials and rights groups have also questioned the accusations and called on Israel authorities to release him. Calling the accusations 'ridiculous,' Kahler said his colleague was a 'heroic physician' whose 'moral compass is directly pointing due North.' While he remains behind bars, Israeli forces have continued their assault on Gaza's health care system, which has led to the destruction of or damage to hospitals in the enclave, according to World Health Organization data. Israel launched its offensive following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Since then, more than 56,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with thousands more seriously injured, according to Palestinian health officials in the enclave. Thousands of Palestinians are held by Israel under a controversial practice known as 'administrative detention,' which Israeli authorities use to hold people without trial or other usual legal proceedings, often based on alleged secret evidence they do not share with detainees, their families or legal representatives. The practice has been roundly criticized by human rights groups that say it is used to hold Palestinians indefinitely without charge and due process, while Israel has defended the practice as a necessary security measure. In their letter on Monday, MedGlobal and the other organizations said that as of February 2025, at least 185 health care workers from Gaza and the West Bank remained in Israeli custody. Their conditions were 'unknown,' it added. 'Many of those released have reported severe abuse, while some have died in custody,' it said.
