How can North Arden PCN help with Long Term Conditions?
WHAT IS A LONG TERM CONDITION?
Long term conditions are physical or mental health conditions that require ongoing management over a period of years; for example
- Diabetes
- COPD and respiratory conditions
- Obesity
- Heart Conditions
- Dementia
- Persistent pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME
- Gastrointestinal conditions and IBS
Some people can suffer from multiple long term conditions. Living with a long-term condition brings challenges and it’s important to have the confidence, support and information to manage your health. Self-care can help you make the most of living with your condition(s), rather than avoiding or missing out on things because of it. Self-care puts you in control.
Some long term conditions require monitoring by your practice for example to check your medicines are helping or that you aren’t developing any complications of your condition. If you are invited to one of these reviews then please try to attend so that your practice can support you.
TIPS FOR LIVING WITH A LONG TERM CONDITION
- Accept you have a persistent health condition…and then begin to move on
- Get involved – building a support team
- Pacing – pacing your daily activities
- Learn to prioritise and plan your days
- Setting goals/action plans
- Being patient with yourself
- Learn relaxation skills
- Exercise
- Keep a diary and track your progress
- Have a plan for set-backs
- Team work – work with your practice team
HOW CAN LONG TERM CONDITIONS AFFECT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
Many emotions and feelings can arise from living with a long term health condition. You may feel frustrated, tired or worried.
- Maybe you feel frustrated about how your condition makes you feel
- Maybe you worry about when the next flare up may be
- You might feel down if you’re finding it difficult to adjust to your condition
- You might not feel as confident as you used to or reluctant to try things differently
- Maybe you feel alone and isolated with your condition.
There are many challenges involved, especially when dealing with difficult or unpleasant symptoms, procedures or treatments. It’s understandable that this can cause you to feel down, stressed or just not your usual self.
Please click here for local mental health services.
A long term condition can affect all aspects of your life. You can struggle to manage the changes that a health condition requires of you or find it more difficult to cope with your usual daily activities.
All of the practices in North Arden PCN have specialist nurses to support with some long term conditions such as Diabetes, Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), Asthma, COPD and they understand the mental strain you may feel.
Our practice staff can refer you for other specialist support from within the PCN such as Clinical Pharmacists, Care Co-ordinator, Social Prescriber and Mental Health Link Workers.
To find out more click here.
For those wishing to improve their health and embark on a weight-loss journey you may find some of the services offered by our PCN projects to be of great help to you.
You may be suitable for services such as Fitter Futures which offer personalised physical activity / healthy lifestyle. Please follow the link below to find out more about who can access this service.
Follow the links below for more information on specific long term conditions:
Useful Services
WCC Health Appointments & Transport Options
(Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening for men 65+)
Coeliac UK – Gluten Sensitivity
(Supporting people affected by OsteogenesisImperfecta)
Respiratory Conditions
Asthma Information and Guidance
Diabetes Care
Mental Health & Wellbeing
(Social Prescribing)
(Fighting For Young People’s Mental Health)
Information & Support
(palliative, neurological & bereavement support)
Neurological Conditions
Dementia & Alzheimer’s
Stop Smoking
Cancer Research UK Stop Smoking
(WCC Stop Smoking Service)
(Detailed information about the free stop smoking NHS support services)
Cancer
Carers & Care Support
Warwickshire County Council Carers Support
(Support for children/young adults 0-25 years with special educational needs and disabilities)
(Care and support through terminal illness)
Adult Obesity
Around two-thirds (63%) of adults are above a healthy weight, and of these, half are living with obesity. Obesity puts us at risk of a range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, at least 12 kinds of cancer, liver and respiratory disease, COVID-19 and can impact mental health.
Obesity is a complex issue with many causes. Obesity and being overweight is caused when extra calories, particularly those from foods high in fat and sugar, are stored in the body as fat. This can be caused by genetics or underlying health conditions. Although these types of conditions do not usually cause weight problems if they’re effectively controlled with medicines. More Often than not obesity is caused by lack of proper exercise and excess consumption of calories.
Obesity is an increasingly common problem because the environment we live in makes it difficult for many people to eat healthily and do enough physical activity.
Over 1 in 4 of us has put on weight since the first lockdown in March 2020, according to recent research. We’ve been doing more comfort eating and snacking, alongside staying at home more. Now it’s time to get our health back on track.
The best way to treat obesity is to eat a healthy reduced-calorie diet and exercise regularly.You can also benefit from receiving support and counselling from a trained healthcare professional to help you better understand your relationship with food and develop different eating habits.
For those wishing to improve their health and embark on a weight-loss journey you may find some of the services offered by our PCN projects to be of great help to you.
You may be suitable for the GRO app (click to here for more details) or to services such as Fitter Futures which offer personalised physical activity / healthy lifestyle. Please follow the link below to find out more about who can access this service.
To find out more about what services are available to you please contact your GP. Or alternatively through our PCN you have access to a Health and Wellbeing coach who is also able to guide and refer you to the services you require. To read more information about what our Health and Wellbeing coach does please click HERE.
Alternatively Better Health has launched a new campaign filled with lots of useful tools and hints to aid those suffering with obesity and help them lead healthier and more active lives.
The new adult obesity campaign from Better Health has launched to encourage adults across the nation to lose any excess weight, eat more healthily and get active this summer.
Extra weight puts pressure on our bodies, making it harder for us to fight off chronic diseases. But small changes every day, like the ones suggested in the campaign, can help us lose weight and feel healthier.
The new campaign is designed to motivate people to make healthier choices. It empathises with how we’ve got here and focuses on the small steps that can be taken to lose weight and feel healthier. It encourages people to use evidence-based support, such as the free NHS Weight Loss Plan app, which has been shown to help people lose nearly a stone (5.8kg) on average over just 12 weeks.
Better Health offers a variety of free tools and support that can help people to lead a healthier lifestyle. They are working in partnership with a number of weight management and physical activity partners who are providing both free and special discounted offers.
The Better Health website has a range of tools to help people change their eating habits, get more active and lose weight including:
• NHS Weight Loss Plan app
• NHS Couch to 5K app
• NHS Active 10 app
• NHS Drink Free Days app
All the above apps are free and can be downloaded via the App Store or Google Play.
When it comes to losing weight and feeling healthier, it’s not about getting it right but getting started. Whether it’s new moves, new foods or new habits, there are lots of simple ways to kick start your health in 2023. To visit the Better Health website and get started today click on the link below
Here are some key tips for healthy weight loss:
- Search ‘Better Health’ or visit nhs.uk/BetterHealth for free tools and support to start leading a healthier lifestyle today. Let’s do this!
- Try to aim for around 1,400 calories a day if you’re a woman and around 1,900kcals if you’re a man.
- Snack less – no more than twice a day – and go for veg based ones. If you’re having packaged snacks go for those with around 100 calories and stick to two a day max.
- Check the ‘traffic light’ labels and go for foods and drinks with more greens and ambers and less reds.
- When it comes to fruit and veg – the more the better! Get your 5 A Day. They’re low in calories.
- When it comes to exercise, some is good, but more is better still – the more time you are active, the greater the health benefits. Remember every minute counts!
- It is never too late to get active to improve your health, so start small and build up starting from 10 minutes of brisk walking a day.
