Eastern Health - Chronic Disease Prevention and Management

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Chronic Disease Prevention and Management

Chronic Disease Management Workshops Eastern Health has developed a Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Strategy. The goal of the strategy is to implement a coordinated, systematic approach to effective chronic disease prevention and management that will positively impact the health status of individuals and communities served by Eastern Health.

Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Strategy (PDF)

Defining a Chronic Disease

Chronic diseases are diseases of long duration and generally slow progression that:

Have many causes but often share common risk factors
Usually begin slowly and develop gradually over time
Can occur at any age, although they become more common in later life
Can impact quality of life and limit daily activities
Require ongoing actions on a long term basis to manage the disease, with involvement from individuals, healthcare providers, and the community

Chronic disease can occur at any age and result from many illnesses and conditions. Some examples of chronic diseases are:

Arthritis
Diabetes
Lung disease
Heart disease
Depression
Cancer
Hepatitis B and C
HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus)
Parkinson’s disease

Chronic disease can:

Reduce a person’s participation in recreation, community, and family activities as well as their ability to work
Increase medication use and health service visits
Lead to other illnesses, particularly depression

Home and community care staff provide various types of support and teaching to clients living with chronic illness such as medication management advice, exercise tips, and healthy eating tips. For more information, please download the brochure below.

Preventing and Living with Chronic Disease (PDF)

The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program

Eastern Health offers a free six-week workshop to individuals living with chronic illness. The ultimate goal of this workshop is for an individual to develop the self-management skills that are necessary to positively manage their own chronic condition.

Positive self-management lowers the risk for flare-ups, decreases the number of visits to the emergency department, and improves overall quality of life.

The free workshop is offered for two and half hours, once a week, for six weeks. The program is led by two facilitators (Lay Leaders) who are trained to help others with chronic disease live a healthy life. Of the two facilitators, at least one is also living with a chronic illness.

The program empowers individuals with chronic conditions to become actively involved in their own healthcare by:

Learning better ways to communicate with their doctor, family, and friends
Discovering exercises to help improve strength, flexibility, and energy
Learning how to deal with fatigue, pain, and frustration
Learning about medication management and healthy eating

Self-management means being an active partner in your own healthcare. Effective prevention and management of chronic disease involves individuals, families and caregivers, the healthcare system and the community working together to achieve better health outcomes for those living with chronic illness.

For more information on Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, please contact:

The Chronic Disease Self-management Coordinator at (709) 752-3946, or the Toll Free Self Management Registration Line at 1-866-880-8998.

Downloadable Documents:

Living with Chronic Disease (PDF)

CDSM Referral Form (PDF)

Updated Jan 7, 2014

For Health Professionals

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