Self Care Management

What is Self Care Management?

Self Care Management is the care and encouragement provided to people with long term health conditions and their families to help them understand their role in managing their condition better on a day to day basis.  It helps people to make more informed decisions about their care, engage in healthy behaviours and to access further support.

Programmes provided by the Self Care Management Service

• Self Care Management Programme for people living with long term health
  conditions
• Diabetes Self Care Management Programme
• Chronic Pain Self Care Management Programme

• Caring for Me and You course for Carers

Programmes run all year round at different venues and online throughout the Walsall borough and morning, afternoon and evening courses are available.

The programmes are FREE and run for 2.5 hours, once a week for six weeks.

Self Care Management Programme for people living with long term health conditions

Self Care Management Programmes (SCMPs) are available for adults living with a long-term health condition. The programme aims to improve your quality of life by giving you confidence, skills and information to help manage your long-term condition or caring role better on a daily basis.

Topics include:

• Getting a good night’s sleep
• Coping with difficult emotions/depression
• Relaxation techniques and exercise
• Healthy eating
• Communicating with friends and family and healthcare professionals
• Dealing with pain and extreme tiredness

By taking part in a programme you will:

• Gain/extend knowledge about how to live with your condition
• Feel confident and more in control of your life
• Manage your condition and treatment together with healthcare professionals
• Be realistic about the impact of your condition on yourself and your family
• Use your new skills and knowledge to improve your quality of life
• Meet others who share similar experiences

Diabetes Self Management Programme for people living with Diabetes

Topics include:

• Healthy eating
• Monitoring your blood glucose
• Menu planning
• Avoiding Diabetes complications
• Stress Management
• Physical activity
• Working with your healthcare professionals

By taking part you will learn:

• Ways to gain/extend knowledge about how to live with Diabetes
• Being realistic about the impact of Diabetes on yourself and your family
• Techniques to deal with symptoms of Diabetes such as fatigue, pain, hyper/hypoglycaemia, stress and emotional problems
• Appropriate exercises for managing blood glucose and for maintaining strength, flexibility and endurance
• Healthy eating and menu planning for your condition

Chronic Pain Self Management Programme for people living with Chronic Pain

Topics Include:

• Healthy Eating for Chronic Pain Management
• Exercise practising the Moving Easy Programme
• Using a Pain Diary
• Identifying Values for Pacing
• Pain Diary
• Fatigue and Getting A Good Night’s Sleep

By taking part, you will learn:

• Gain/extend knowledge about how to live with Chronic Pain
• Feel confident and more in control of your life
• Be realistic about the impact of Chronic Pain on yourself and your family
• Manage your condition and treatment together working with healthcare professionals
• Use your new skills and knowledge to improve your quality of life
• Meet others who share similar experiences

Caring for Me and You course for Carers

Caring for Me and You is a free course for adults who care for someone, a child or another adult, who is living with a long-term health condition or disability. As its name implies, the course is about you making time to look after your own health needs. It aims to help you take more control of your situation and make a difference to your life.

Topics include:

• Understanding Challenging Behaviours
• Coping with difficult thoughts and emotions
• Staying Healthy
• How to get help
• Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
• Future Planning/Legal Issues
• Working with Health and Social Care Professionals
• Relaxation Techniques

By taking part in a Caring for and You Programme course, you will:

• learn new skills to help you to cope with your caring situation
• develop the confidence to take more control
• meet with others who share similar experiences