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Are you living with or do you care for someone with a Long-Term health condition? We are here to help.
The aim of this service is to support individuals who are living with a long-term health condition to develop self-management skills.
We aim to improve individuals’ understanding of their condition, to increase their capacity to take more control through developing useful skills and techniques. We hope that this impacts positively on the quality of their lives.
What is "self-management"?
The concept of self-management is one that aims to put the individual at the centre of their own health management. It allows the person to take a pro-active role in finding the right ways for them to 'cope' and live a full life with a chronic condition.
Self-management supports and encourages people living with long-term conditions to access information and to develop skills to find out what’s right for their condition and most importantly, right for them
(Long-term Conditions Alliance Scotland)
Peer support Group
We run a fortnightly self-management peer support group. This was developed with people living with a long-term health condition. The focus of the group is on self-management skills, allowing individuals to work with others in a similar situation to develop different coping mechanisms within a supportive and positive environment.
The group runs every second Tuesday at Perth Society for the Blind from 1.00- 3.00p.m. Each session involves:
Talk Shop
Where individuals can discuss any concerns or obstacles and support each other through the exchange of experiences and information. Group members can initiate topics of their choice, bring along interesting articles or information or discuss a particular issue that has arisen for them.
Skills Session
This is a session taken by a professional on specific beneficial self-management topics. The following topics are part of our current time table chosen by our members. They included:
- Nutrition
- Yoga
- Goal Setting
- Everyday useful equipment
- Homeopathy
Wind Down
Each session will end with a short relaxation exercise to leave you feeling calm and refreshed. We experiment with different relaxation techniques such as:
- Visualisation
- Deep breathing
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Meditation techniques
- Self-Management Courses
Self-Management Courses
We also offer six week self-management courses as an introduction to the principles of self-management. This course allows individuals to explore their condition, the way in which it impacts on the different areas of their lives and to gain some insight into the various skills and techniques which can be developed to help them feel more in control of their situation.
The 6 Week Self-Management Course:
- Introduction to self-management
- Managing Symptoms
- Problem Solving and Goal Setting
- Nutrition
- Complimentary Therapy
- Relaxation and Exercise
Individuals who have used our support serivce have expressed the following positive outcomes:
Without a doubt the course has given me a more positive approach to my condition I have more confidence in dealing with my condition It has taught me to not give up…just re-evaluate and try again Before coming on this course I found it very difficult to pace myself. I now manage to pace myself and manage my time better so that I don’t make my pain worse I now realise that setting goals does not have to be about achieving something enormous. I set things too hard for me to possibly achieve. Now I know it is about small achievable steps I have learnt so much from the discussions in the group. The way everyone helped each other by sharing experience was extremely beneficial
If you are interested in accessing any of the above services please do not hesitate to contact us.
The development of our long-term conditions service has been based on the recognition by Long-Term Conditions Alliance Scotland that peer support initiatives are the most effective way of supporting individuals with a long-term condition to self-manage successfully.
