This week is known as the Self Care Week (November 13-19). The national awareness campaign is run by the Self Care Forum and is supported by the NHS. The campaign aims to help people understand how they can look after their own health, both in the short-term and long-term.
The Self Care Forum define this term as being:
The actions that individuals take for themselves, on behalf of and with others in order to develop, protect, maintain and improve their health, wellbeing or wellness.”
What is Self Care Week?
Self Care Week is all about the things that we can do as individuals to be responsible for leading healthy lifestyles. It’s about creating healthier daily habits through understanding more about health. This week is also for those who live with a long-term medical condition, to help you to understand more about that condition and how to live with it.
New figures published ahead of Self Care Week show that nearly half of all UK adults (47.7%) need help to self-care for self-treatable conditions. New evidence provided by the Self Care Forum also suggests that there are “57 million GP appointments and 3.7 million visits to A&E each year for self-treatable conditions.”
To help you look after your own well-being, and therefore reduce the risk of any illness or medical condition, here are some top Self Care Week tips for you to follow:
3 Self Care Week tips
- Reduce/Quit Bad Habits – If you are a smoker or a frequent drinker, your health would benefit from cutting down or stopping altogether. This is something that you can do independently or with help from support groups. There are also free stop smoking advisors available. Quitting cigarettes will significantly reduce the risk of lung cancer in the future.
- Use Technology – You can use apps to help track your health. They can help you manage your weight, diet and exercise. Assisted living aids such as Lifeline Alarms can help you to stay in your own home for as long as possible.
- Eat More Healthily – There are plenty of healthy recipes online to help you cook great food at home. You should be particularly aware of how much sugar you consume and try not to go over your daily allowance. Drinking more water and increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables in your diet are simple methods of self-care to keep you healthy.
- Exercise – You could join a gym, a sports group or you could simply go for a bike ride. The NHS says that adults should complete at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week and do strength exercise on two or more days a week. Doing so will help reduce your risk of medical conditions and can also combat loneliness.
- Know your Medical Conditions – By doing your research you can understand your symptoms more and how to treat it. See our in-depth look at the most common conditions to affect older people.
Self Care Week for life
Coughs, colds and the flu are common during the winter months, but many can be treated without a trip to the doctors. Many of your common health complaints can be treated by a pharmacist instead of needing a doctor’s appointment. They can help other common health issues such as; eczema, allergies, headaches, earache and more.
Remember to always try and live a healthy lifestyle, by exercising, taking part in hobbies and eating wisely. Doing so will not only provide you with social benefits, but it will also reduce the risk of serious medical conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Staying safe at home
A personal alarm can help older people to remain in the comforts of their own home, rather than going into hospital or a care home. If one of our alarm users feels unwell or suffers a fall, he or she can press their pendant button and help will be arranged immediately – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
For more information on purchasing one of our life-saving personal alarms, send an email at info@lifeconnect24.co.uk or speak to one of our friendly advisors on 0800 999 0400. Alternatively, complete our contact us form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
See our article on the most common medical conditions for older people to find out more about how to live with them.
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