For people with chronic health conditions, good medical care is just half of the equation. Equally important is their ability to make healthy decisions, follow their doctor’s recommendations and take care of their condition.
“Living Well with Chronic Conditions,” a free weekly workshop offered at the Hood River Valley Adult Center from 1-3:30 p.m. May 2 through June 6, teaches those with lifelong health conditions to do just that. Participants have less pain, more energy and fewer hospitalizations.
The classes are for anyone with a chronic disease. Chronic diseases are lifelong health conditions and include diabetes, arthritis, HIV/AIDS, high blood pressure, depression, heart disease, chronic pain, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and others.
There’s a significant need for support for people with chronic diseases, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the most common, costly and preventable of all U.S. health problems. They are also the leading causes of death and disability, responsible for seven out of 10 deaths each year (www. cdc.gov/ chronicdisease/overview).
“The good news,” said Britta Willson, program coordinator, “is that people who know how to take care of their health conditions can live successfully with their disease. The Living Well workshops are a wonderful complement to medical care, equipping people to live well outside the doctor’s office so they can make the most of their treatment and live the lives they want.”
Living Well workshops are delivered in six two-and-a-half-hour weekly sessions. They are taught by two certified leaders; either one or both have a chronic disease themselves and speak from their own experience.
During the six-week session, participants receive support from trained leaders and other workshop participants, learn practical ways to manage their pain and fatigue, learn about nutrition and exercise options, understand new treatment choices and learn better ways to communicate about their conditions with doctors and family members.
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“Living Well with Chronic Conditions” was created by Stanford University’s Patient Education Research Center and is supported by the Oregon Health Authority/Department of Human Services. The state’s goal is to put healthy options within reach for all Oregonians, and offering these self-management workshops is a way to ensure that people with chronic diseases have the support they need to access those options and live well. Other chronic disease self-management programs include Tomando Control de su Salud, a Spanish-language, culturally appropriate version, and Wisdom Warriors, a culturally-appropriate workshop for Native Americans.
For information on workshops in the area, call 541-298-4101.
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