Help and Advice for Living Life Well with a Long Term Health Condition
A long term health condition can be anything from asthma to multiple sclerosis. If you, or someone you know or care for, is living with a long term condition you’ll know that sometimes life’s not easy. Being in control means you will be able to have greater confidence and achieve better health and wellbeing.
Self care is an integral part of daily life and is all about people taking responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. It covers every aspect of living a healthy life. For example taking medicines properly, doing exercise or seeing friends. You are/can be the expert in living with your condition on a daily basis.
Self care though does not mean sole care, there is help available. This webpage contains information and advice about the support available locally and nationally.
National Self Care Week
Putting Yourself in Control of Your Own Health and Wellbeing.
Every year National Self Care Week aims to raise awareness of new information and resources for managing long term health conditions; these documents were created for the 2009 campaign:
Useful Links
At the top right of the site, you will see the heading "Useful Links", here you will find links to NHS Choices. This website contains general health care information and specific guides for each long term health condition.
Information about living with a long term health condition, care planning, self care and patient stories can be found at www.nhs.uk/yourhealth
Carers
There are approximately 66,000 carers in Lincolnshire. (source: 2001 Census). Caring is needed in around one in every five families. Carers are unpaid in their caring role and play a valuable role in our society. They help the people they care for remain in the local community.
Carers don’t always see themselves as carers. Often they’re unaware of the range of support services that can help them in their caring role. If you are caring for someone, or know of someone else who is a carer, please use the following link for more information about how Lincolnshire County Council’s Carers Team can help.
The following advice leaflet for carers is also available: Carers Leaflet [pdf 760kb]
A short case study of a local carer’s perspective of caring for her husband, who suffered from heart failure, can be viewed here: HOPE: A Carer's Case Study [pdf 149kb]
Health and Wellbeing
A booklet produced by Lincolnshire County Council, NHS Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire Police and Age Concern is available called the “Good Life Guide”. A wide variety of topics are included ranging from information about suitable exercise to hints about avoiding falls. You can download the guide using this link: Good Life Guide.
First Contact is a scheme for people aged 60 and over that provides help and advice for general health, wellbeing and personal safety. Leaflets explaining more about First Contact are available, they feature a simple checklist to determine which services are needed. To request a leaflet or to complete the checklist over the phone please call or email First Contact. The leaflets are also available in some doctor’s surgeries, Community Access Points and Libraries.
Telecare
In its simplest form, Telecare is a telephone unit which automatically contacts a control centre when you need help. The unit works using a range of sensors.
What kind of situations can Telecare help in?
- It can raise an alarm if you have fallen.
- It can remind you to take medication
- It can reassure family/carers that you are ok.
- It can help you feel secure in your own home
- It can help locate someone if they are prone to getting disorientated outside.
Telecare is available to people who live within Lincolnshire County council boundaries but do not live in a residential/nursing home, as the aim is to help people to remain independent.
The equipment is loaned free of charge. For extremely vulnerable people who meet certain criteria the monitoring service is also free. For others the cost of the monitoring is just £1.50 a week. Daily Wellbeing checks are an extra £1.50 a week.
If you have someone who helps you from adult social care or health then you should contact them and ask about Telecare. e.g. a nurse, an occupational therapist or social worker.
If you do not have any help at present then please ring a Lincolnshire County Council advisor: