RCPCH conference 2019 abstract: Tea and cake: an opportunity for young people and their parents/guardians to eat cake and share ideas, Bashton et al

Trish

Moderator
Staff member
Tea and cake: an opportunity for young people and their parents/guardians to eat cake and share ideas

Abstract
Background The Treatment and Rehabilitation of Adolescents with Complex Conditions Service (TRACCS) identified the need for young people and parents/guardians to have a space for peer support from others experiencing the same or a similar journey in an informal setting where professionals were not the focus. The need for this support was voiced during psychoeducational groups run by the service and during 1:1 clinic sessions.

Aims To provide an informal client led forum for young people and parents/guardians to share ideas, experiences and provide feedback to the service, whilst eating cake.

Methods An invitation was sent to all young people cared for in the TRACCS at a tertiary adolescent chronic fatigue sydrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) service in a British city their parents/guardians. An invitation to the event was included with each clinic letter to young people assessed and treated either in the inpatient or outpatient setting. They self-selected whether they wished to attend by responding by e-mail to the team. Two afternoon events have been held at the hospital, each lasting 1.5 hours. Young people and their parents/guardians led ice-breakers which were used to encourage interaction to help everyone to get to know each other. Feedback was sent to the team from young people and parents/guardians via e-mail regarding the event.

Results 9 young people and 8 parents/guardians attended the first event, 10 young people 9 parents/guardians attended the second event. Young people were aged 14–19 years old. We obtained feedback via e-mail responses. : ‘it was great to meet some other families…’ ‘it went so well and it helped so many’ ‘It was nice to see some faces we knew and chat to new people as well.’

Conclusion Due to the good attendance, positive feedback and continued interest from young people and parents/guardians about having the opportunity to meet others experiencing the same journey, and the positive effect this had on reducing their sense of isolation, three future events have been organised in the next 9 months.

For more on the conference see this thread:
https://www.s4me.info/threads/me-cf...cs-and-child-health-conference-may-2019.9555/
 
So it would seem that strongly advising ME patients against joining support groups was a bad idea. The positive comments are clearly aligned on the rare opportunity to socialize with peers and not related to any therapeutic effect. Forced social isolation is a bad idea, who knew?

As usual, take the recommendations from the psychosocial model and do the opposite for best results.
 
So it would seem that strongly advising ME patients against joining support groups was a bad idea. The positive comments are clearly aligned on the rare opportunity to socialize with peers and not related to any therapeutic effect. Forced social isolation is a bad idea, who knew?

As usual, take the recommendations from the psychosocial model and do the opposite for best results.

Are you saying the cake is a lie!?!
 
They will probably be unable to entice David Amess to attend, with an offer like that.
 
Didn't we already know that some people like to sit around eating cake whilst 'chatting', and that, because they like it, it may make them feel better, more positive?

Didn't we know this before we invented cake? Certainly before we invented psychologists.

I mean, really, people turned up, they didn't kill anyone important and apparently enjoyed themselves enough so as to come back, bringing someone else with them (possibly), so it's a good idea to arrange for more cake to be delivered?

This level of thinking is beyond me, even now it's impossible to think so slowly as to be able to understand why allegedly fully functional neurotypical adults don't know this sort of thing, why they feel the need to run a 'study' like this.

This isn't a study, it's a project, it's not aimed at helping people, it's aim is to get someone else to pay for the cake.:nailbiting:

It's the only explanation that makes sense.
 
Last edited:
A major drawback of this study is that it is not randomised.

I think at minimum subjects should have been randomised to Dundee, Battenburg, Schwarzforestetorte, and low fat carrot cake. There should also have been a control group with bread and jam and a combination group with both (but only allowed cake after bread and jam as my mother insisted).

I didn't actually know that people still ate cake. I rather assumed that the only people who did were visiting their mum (aged 97).
 
I didn't actually know that people still ate cake. I rather assumed that the only people who did were visiting their mum (aged 97).

You must be lucky enough to get invites from like minded people and share mutual interest conversations rather than the duty bound summonsing to childrens birthday parties and someones boring wedding, stuck on a table with people you have been deliberately trying to avoid for years.

I have to admit to preferring funeral buffet food as it tends to be sandwich, pork pie, and scotch egg based spreads which no ones seems to do anymore in any other setting, preferring to impress with some latest Jamie Oliver fusion crap or some terrible tagine type crap with meat mixed with apricots etc.

Not that I don't like world cuisine but you cant get a curled up egg and crest mini sarny, mucky fat, or sausage rolls outside of a funeral buffet these days. I wonder why that is.

As for the cake, ill have an extra chicken leg for my dessert any day.
 
Last edited:
You must be lucky enough to get invites from like minded people and share mutual interest conversations rather than the duty bound summonsing to childrens birthday parties and someones boring wedding, stuck on a table with people you have been deliberately trying to avoid for years.

I have to admit to preferring funeral buffet food as it tends to be sandwich, pork pie, and scotch egg based spreads which no ones seems to do anymore in any other setting, preferring to impress with some latest Jamie Oliver fusion crap or some terrible tagine type crap with meat mixed with apricots etc.

Not that I don't like world cuisine but you cant get a curled up egg and crest mini sarny, mucky fat, or sausage rolls outside of a funeral buffet these days. I wonder why that is.

As for the cake, ill have an extra chicken leg for my dessert any day.
Maybe the food at funerals is supposed to speed along the reunion between living and recently departed?
 
A major drawback of this study is that it is not randomised.

I think at minimum subjects should have been randomised to Dundee, Battenburg, Schwarzforestetorte, and low fat carrot cake. There should also have been a control group with bread and jam and a combination group with both (but only allowed cake after bread and jam as my mother insisted).

I didn't actually know that people still ate cake. I rather assumed that the only people who did were visiting their mum (aged 97).
Chorley, Eccles cakes too also not forgetting Chelsea or BATH buns
 
A major drawback of this study is that it is not randomised.

I think at minimum subjects should have been randomised to Dundee, Battenburg, Schwarzforestetorte, and low fat carrot cake. There should also have been a control group with bread and jam and a combination group with both (but only allowed cake after bread and jam as my mother insisted).

Blinding might be difficult, I mean it is obvious when you've been randomised to the crap carrot cake group.

I didn't actually know that people still ate cake. I rather assumed that the only people who did were visiting their mum (aged 97).

Blasphemy!
 
Back
Top Bottom