Tuesday 16 August 2011

Self management - what's it all about?

Over 2 million people in Scotland are living with a long term condition such as asthma, diabetes or mental health problems.
That's about 40% of us.
Self management is about enjoying life with a long term condition, not about enduring it. It's about you being in charge of your illness.



There are loads of reasons why this makes sense, but the the Self Management website lists just a few:
  • Life can be better with self management.  Being told you have a condition for which there may be no cure can be devastating.  Individuals respond in individual ways.  It can often have a profound impact on a person’s well-being and self-esteem.
  • People try to cope as best they can with the support they have.  But frequently they do not have the information or skills to manage their condition well.  It is often difficult to make well informed decisions about their life; let alone make plans for the future.
  • Together with health professionals and others who provide support, self management helps people to make decisions that are right for their life.
At Barnton Pharmacy we firmly believe in self management and in terms of your medicines this means being informed about them, knowing when to take them to get the best out of them and what to expect in terms of side effects or interactions with other medicines.

Our team are on hand to answer your questions so that you can get on with enjoying life!

3 comments:

  1. I found your blog through Ellen. I have epilepsy and take a high dosage of Keppra every day to keep it under control. It is life changing but I've been bad with it for 2 years (was diagnosed in 1999 whilst pregnant) and have just got my license back to drive. My daughter is autistic.

    CJ xx

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  2. Hi CJ
    Thanks for taking the time to find my blog and for commenting.
    Congratulations on getting your driving license back that must make a huge difference to your life and really puts you back in the driving seat- excuse the pun!!!
    Can I ask if you feel well informed about your epilepsy and what part your community pharmacist has played in your care?
    sarnison

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  3. Aorry about anonymous post.
    Think I have fixed the problem with my log in...at last
    Thanks again CJ

    ReplyDelete