New 'Change Café' in Cork aims to demystify menopause

THE Ballyphehane Community Centre was the scene for the launch of The Change Café recently. Officially opened by Deputy Lord Mayor Colette Finn, the initiative aims to provide a space for women to learn more about menopause and women’s health.

“I grew up in a time where contraception, sex, childbirth, or menopause weren’t talked about. But thankfully, times have changed, and we’re starting to talk about these things,” said Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Finn. “I’m delighted to officially open the Change Café. 

I know it will be a place where women can access accurate information about menopause from the speakers and each other. Getting this information will help people to help themselves live a normal life during menopause.

On the second Tuesday of every month, between 7pm and 9pm, the community centre will play host to a range of experts in menopause and women’s health.

While the first hour will be devoted to these speakers, the second hour will be for chats and a cuppa, where women will be able to make new connections, learn from their peers, and chat about their own experiences.

The Change Café is the brainchild of Gráinne O’Connell Walsh, project administrator at Ballyphehane Togher Community Development Project (CDP).

“I’m a menopausal woman myself and I saw the need in my community for reliable, accurate information around the menopause. For a lot of women, they don’t know what’s going on in their mind or bodies at this time. We hope the Change Café will demystify the menopause and give women the skills to navigate their own menopause journey,” says Gráinne.

 We want to empower women to support each other and to talk about menopause and other issues affecting them. We hope this will reassure them about their feelings, concerns, issues, fears, and anxieties, as well as help them to explore options and therapies available.

Making information accessible is a key component of the Change Café, according to Bernadette DeCourcey, Literacy Coordinator at the Read Write Now Literacy Scheme with Cork Education and Training Board (CETB), which is one of the collaborators of the initiative.

“We wanted to remove the barriers to accurate information around women’s health and menopause. The initiative is free and local, making it more accessible to the women who need it.”

Gráinne hopes the café becomes a place where women can talk openly about their perimenopause or menopause symptoms. Where they can find out about the options available to them, and discuss those with their peers.

“We also hope the café helps women to feel less isolated,” she says. “For women who may be new to the community, we’d like to think that the café will be a place for them to link in with other women in the area.”

Joanna O’Dowd, one of the attendees at the launch, talked about how important it is for women to have a space where they can make connections and have open conversations.

When I entered perimenopause, I didn’t know what was happening to me. To have somewhere where we can connect with our elders and share stories is great.

“I was just 38 when I entered into perimenopause,” explains Deirdre Ryan, another attendee on the night. “That was 10 years ago, and back then menopause wasn’t yet being talked about openly, so I felt very alone. Having somewhere local where we can go will be great. I will be coming back for the monthly café nights to hear from the speakers they have lined up.”

Judging by the launch event, there is a real appetite in the community for this initiative. Dozens of women attended, creating a nice buzz where women chatted comfortably about their menopause journey. The ages ranged from younger women, there to find out more about what their mother is going through, right up to older ladies, who have been through it and come out the other side, and of course, those experiencing perimenopause and menopause themselves.

The next event will be at 7pm on May 14 and the keynote speaker is Catherine O’Keeffe, author of Everything You Need to Know About Menopause.

“We’re looking forward to having Catherine with us in May. She is a wonderful speaker. We’ve purchased a few copies of her book and we’re making them freely available here in the library at the community centre,” says Gráinne.

Other experts lined up for the rest of the year include a relaxation/meditation coach, an expert in pelvic health, a pharmacist, a dietician and a sexual health expert.

The Change Café is a collaboration between the Ballyphehane Togher Community Development Project CLG, the Ballyphehane/Togher Adult Education Provision CETB, Cork City Partnership CLG, and the South Community Worker Department HSE.

The initiative received funding from the Hospital Saturday Fund, an organisation that supports medically-associated charities and initiatives.