Older peoples charity offers new long-term health conditions guide
2 min read
A new long-term health conditions guide has been launched by Independent Age.
With 58 per cent of people over 60 living with long-term health conditions* Independent Age, the older people’s charity, has been listening to older people who have been advising on the issues they regularly deal with but find difficult to manage. Working with older people plus GPs and other health professionals the charity has developed a new advice guide to address their needs.
Living well with long-term health conditions has been written specifically for older people to enable them to take control of their lives. However it will also be useful for carers, family members and professionals such as GPs, social workers and advice centres. The free guide offers practical tips on how to self-manage living with a number of health conditions and how to prepare for medical appointments, and ways to help yourself between appointments.
Lucy Harmer, Director of Services at Independent Age said: “We believe this new guide will be a valuable tool when having conversations with patients who might have a lot of information to take in at their appointment. The guides have been designed to help patients to self-manage multiple conditions to enable them to continue to live their lives well.
“Our aim is to give older people the assurances to confidently ask the right questions at medical appointments and navigate their way round all the new information they are receiving.
Independent Age has found that previous guides have been very successful in prompting individuals to take action with 48 per cent speaking to family and friends about bereavement after reading ‘Coping with Bereavement’. The charity’s ‘Dealing with Depression’ guide has prompted one in four to speak to their GP or medical professional. Both publications were Highly Commended by the British Medical Association this year.
Free single or multiple copies of ‘Living well with long-term health conditions’ can be ordered by calling Independent Age’s Helpline on 0800 319 6789. It is also available to order or download from Independent Age’s website www.independentage.org/living-well-with-health-conditions.
