Social service agencies in Alexandra are spreading their services further, including the Maniototo, and new cancer support groups are starting up across the district as well.

The Cancer Society of New Zealand have cancer navigators based in Alexandra (Shona Bain), Queenstown and Wanaka (Zoe Arden) that work with families to support those impacted by the disease.

Queenstown Lakes/Central Otago manager Tara Strahan said the Maniototo was one area that had been under serviced for many years, and there was a high need right across the board for a range of social services.

In her new role for the Cancer Society, Shona started liaising with many of the social agencies based out of Community House in Alexandra, to spend one day a month in Ranfurly.

The new Maniototo Support Hub enabled more rural families to get the support they needed, not just from the Cancer Society but also Family Works, Age Concern, Catholic Social Services and Work and Income.

Sessions at the Ranfurly Medical Centre started two months ago, and were held 10am to 1pm on the last Thursday of each month.

Shona said the Maniototo had a very resilient community of “workaholics” that all pitched in as volunteers to help others in need.

“In the past 10 years the need out there has grown because of housing affordability,” - single parents in particular that couldn’t afford to live in Alexandra were moving to Ranfurly, but were now also further away from the support they needed.

At the other end of the district, Wanaka-based Zoe recently created a Central Lakes Coffee Group in Cromwell, and was encouraging not only those with cancer, but supporters and carers as well.

“We noticed there was a need because they had historically run a group in the different towns,” (Wanaka, Alexandra and Queenstown), but Cromwell and Ranfurly missed out.

Zoe said it was often difficult for people going through cancer treatment to want to meet others, and they were often busy with their health appointments.

Both Zoe and Shona were working hard to reach as many families as they could, and were starting ‘pop-up’ sessions at the Cromwell Library every second Monday afternoon.

That was a way people could find out more about what support was available, and the pair were available for free transport from both Alexandra and Wanaka if they needed it.

Most people were referred from health professionals to the Cancer Society, but they also accepted self referrals.

Tara said the Cancer Society probably only saw about 40% of cases diagnosed, but currently had about 120 families on their books, across the two districts.

“People always say they wished they had known about us sooner.”

For more information about Cancer Society of New Zealand, look up their details on our Community page under Support Services https://centralapp.nz/Info/cancer-society-nz-inc/5bb14cd8e72eb0002aa05db0#top

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