Self Management Project

'STAY WELL LANARKSHIRE' SELF MANAGEMENT PROJECT

Stay Well Lanarkshire is our innovative self management project which aims to assist young people with long term conditions to manage their illness and live as full and healthy a life as possible.

The project is developing and offering self management workshop sessions for young people in Lanarkshire living with a long term health condition. The sessions will not be disease specific, but will instead focus on the general impact long term illnesses can have on quality of life. It will also give participants the chance to meet other young people, to share experience and provide peer support.

Self management is a process in which people with long term illnesses are empowered to take charge of their condition and its impact on their quality of life.

Self Management

Does not mean I have to manage by myself
Does mean that I can ask for help and support
Does mean that I am central to the support I receive

What happens at the workshops?

Our project team, Amy Joss and Lysia Abercrombie, are currently providing a programme of self management workshops (three full days). The sessions are directly shaped by the young people participating and involve fun activities such as drumming, dvd production, peer support training and healthy cooking. The following list is not exhaustive and will vary depending on participants but sessions include:

Understanding self management and NHS structures

Understanding and coping with emotions

Communication: family, friends, health & education professionals

Building Confidence

Resources needed to self manage eg coping with stress, pain, healthy exercise and food

Who Can Take Part?

Any young person living in Lanarkshire between the ages of 11 and 18 years of age with a long term health condition (such as asthma; irritable bowel syndrome; diabetes; arthritis; cystic fibrosis; metabolic disorder or other chronic health condition). Read our Stay Well Lanarkshire leaflet to find out more.

How Can I Take Part?

The final Saturday workshop sessions will start on January 28, 2012:

we are now taking referrals!

You can come to the set of three workshops by getting in touch with Amy Joss, Project Officer directly (self referral). Referrals are also welcome from Paediatricians, Specialist Nurses, Teachers, Youth Counsellors, School Nurses, Parents/Carers.

We are also interested in hearing from youth organisations in Lanarkshire who would like to have a

one-hour awareness-raising workshop on living with a long term health condition.

If you would like to come to the workshops or if you know someone who might benefit from our project, contact 0131 553 6553 or email Amy for more information.