Coping with long term conditions

A long-term condition is something that has lasted for longer than a year, that can’t be cured but can be controlled with medical help. Some examples of long-term conditions include arthritis, heart disease and diabetes.

There is lots of help available to people with long-term conditions living in Kirklees.

Health trainers can help you to manage a long term condition better with tips on diet and exercise. They can also give you personal support to help you stay independent. For more information call 01924 816176 if you live in Batley, Dewsbury or Spen or 01484 344349 if you live in Huddersfield.

You can now help yourself to better health at your local library. Thanks to an investment by NHS Kirklees, library and information centres across Kirklees are now fully stocked with more than 15,000 brand new health related books available for loan. Topics include food, keeping fit, growing up, parenting, keeping active in retirement and various long term conditions and illnesses.

The Expert Patients Programme (EPP) course is an 8 - 10 week free self management course for anyone with a chronic or long term condition who wants to learn skills for managing and improving their health.

You can choose from the following:

Expert Patients Programme Course
A course for anyone with chronic or long term health condition(s) who wants to learn skills for managing and improving their health. Delivered in English or Urdu.

Expert Patients Programme Course – Asthma
A course for people living with or caring for someone with asthma.

Expert Patients Programme Course – COPD
A course for individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Looking After Me Course (LAM)
A course for adults who care for/look after someone living with a long term health condition or disability including mental health problems, someone who is ill, frail or elderly or someone with a drug or alcohol problem. Delivered in English or Urdu.

New beginnings
The New Beginnings programme takes place in a group environment and will include guided open discussion. It is led by trained and qualified people with firsthand experience of living with a mental health condition or emotional difficulty and who are role models of the tremendous benefits that taking part in the course can bring which include:

• Improved quality of life
• Increased confidence and motivation
• Improved relationships with family, friends, work colleagues, health and social care professionals
• Reduced feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression
• Information about further support

Supporting parents programme
A course for parents, guardians and carers of children who have long term and life limiting conditions.

Persistent pain programme
A course for people who live with day to day persistent pain.

Other courses in community languages are to be developed and delivered across Kirklees.

For information call 01924 351600, email epp@kirklees.nhs.uk