Download - Promoting Independence
SELF CARE:
MAINTAINING HEALTHDefining Self Care
Strategies
Drivers and Evidence
PUP 2224: Learning Outcome Three
For information on self care, this is an excellent resource www.nhs.uk/selfcare
NHS: What is self care?
• Self care means keeping fit and healthy, as well as
knowing how to take medicines, treat minor ailments and
seek help when you need it.
• If you have a long-term condition, self care is about
understanding that condition and how to live with it.
• Preventing secondary complications as well as sustaining
health
NHS Approach: Definition
• Self Care is an integral part of daily life and is all about
individuals taking responsibility for their own health and
wellbeing, with support from their health and social care
professionals.
• It includes the actions people take every day in order to
stay fit and maintain good physical and mental health,
meet their social and psychological needs, prevents
illness or accidents, and care more effectively for minor
ailments and long term conditions.
Shift of values and beliefs
• Shift from institutional help to one of self help (1980’s)
• Wellness and prevention v’s restorative care
• (Neisbett 1984)
• Taking responsibility for health habits lifestyle environment
and being treated as a whole person
• Control over health is an important determinant of health
outcomes.
What the Government want!
• http://selfmanagementsupport.health.org.uk/media_mana
ger/public/179/SMS_resource-
centre_publications/Self%20care%20-
%20a%20guide%20to%20developing%20local%20strate
gies%20and%20good%20practice.pdf
Nurses
• Need to be concerned with developing approaches or
methods that will influence or facilitate individual health
behaviours
We need to know strategies for:
• Exploring
• Motivating
• Placing responsibility
• Contracting
To meet health goals
Self Care Strategies
• The Self Care Strategy aims to promote the development
of self care for people with a long term condition through
engagement with healthcare professionals and people
with long term conditions to promote self care strategies
and options.
• Health Promotion Strategies
• Behavioural Changes
• Screening
• Prevention
• Quality of life and dignified death (End of Life)
Factors that make Self Care difficult
• Interfere with the ability to make decisions
• i.e. how to or what to do when
• Comorbidities make symptom control difficult
• Depression
• Anxiety (Impairs motivation learning creates symptoms)
• Age
• Sleep Disturbances
• Polypharmacy
• Poor Health Literacy
• Can you think of any others? Gallaghers!
Factors that promote Self Care
• Healthly lifestyle
• Sustain health behaviours
• Information and education
• Services, support, resources, finance, employment
• True patient centered ( working together )
• Medication
• Routine monitoring screening and prevention of
secondary complications
• Recognition of comorbidities when admitted to hospital for
treatments (the diabetes exercise)
NHS: Self Check
• http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/LifeCheck.aspx
• Developing a Health Check
• Expert Patient Policy
Self Care Week, 15-21November 2010
• Self Care Week aims to raise awareness of the
information and resources available to help the public and
especially those with a long term condition take control of
their own health and wellbeing.
• It will make people aware of the support available and
encourage them to take a more active role in decisions
about their care.
• There are resources available to healthcare professionals
to promote Self Care and Self Care Week.
• The information pack provides information on the week,
key messages and what else is happening nationally and
locally during the week.
References
• http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/120/12/1141.full.pdf+ht
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