Prescribing, to most, means a trip to the pharmacy for pills. The act of prescribing is a huge part of healthcare- tablets to prevent and solve many problems. But what if your issues cannot be met by a medical pill? Some people, in our case, people living after a cancer diagnosis; face problems that go far beyond what might be helped by a pill. Needs like social isolation, unhealthy eating, physical inactivity and loneliness are just some of many problems which a traditional medical prescription fails to meet. However, a new holistic medical approach, called social prescribing, might meet some of these needs. It aims to connect people to groups, businesses or charities in their local care with the hope of helping seek other forms of support and healing outside of the hospital or pharamcy. This project aims to use different ways to answer the question – could a social prescription meet some of the needs of people living with or after cancer? We will survey and interview people living after cancer treatment about what kind if supports might help them with problems that they experience after their treatment. By speaking with and understanding the needs of those who might benefit from social prescribing, we will have the information we need to design this service.
