Living Well For Better Health
Sharon Berz, Vicki Foster & Tamara Herrick
Intended Audience: DHHS Employees Only
Credit: 15 hrs
Individuals who live with chronic health concerns, such as diabetes, arthritis, asthma, obesity, depression or anxiety, share similar experiences: limitations on activity and lifestyle, fatigue, and feelings of frustration. Many of these individuals also experience some difficulty with work productivity and attendance.
This 6 week workshop that meets once a week for 2 ½ hours, covers techniques to deal effectively with these kinds of problems, including more effectively managing symptoms, exercise; appropriate use of medications; communicating effectively with family, friends, and health professionals; nutrition; and how to evaluate new treatments.
Through extensive studies it has been shown that those who have participated in the Living Well Program have improved the over-all quality of their lives, both physically and emotionally. Those benefits have remained over a two-year period even in cases where the person’s condition has worsened. Living Well also leads to fewer emergency room visits, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer days in the hospital. All benefits anyone could embrace.
The Living Well program is presented to DHHS through the Office of Elder Services in partnership with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and MaineHealth’s Partnership for Healthy Aging.
The Living Well program has been piloted through the Staff Education and Training Unit (SETU) in the Augusta area for DHHS employees. The class is open to DHHS employees who have chronic health concerns themselves or are caregivers for individuals with chronic health concerns.
