Self Care Week 2016: understanding self care for life

Self Care Week (14 - 20 November) is an excellent tool for general practice. Organised by the Self Care Forum, the national awareness week has been running since 2009 and is a promotional vehicle to help increase people’s ability to look after their own health better.

Understanding Self Care for Life is the theme for 2016 and the Self Care Forum invites you to use this theme as a hook for activities to help your patients self care. People need help to self-treat common ailments such as coughs, colds, muscle and joint pain; they need support to look after more serious conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or mental health illnesses. Signposting to areas in the health service that are more appropriate for their health needs is also an important message for Self Care Week as is appropriate use of antibiotics and improving general health and wellbeing.

Increasing people’s health knowledge will give them confidence to Self Care for Life and as health professionals we can help people to help themselves and Self Care Week is an ideal opportunity to do this.

For more information and resources go to www.selfcareforum.org or email selfcare@selfcareforum.org and sign up for Self Care Forum updates. The Self Care Forum will also be awarding the best initiative for efforts during Self Care Week which, as well as a certificate and free place at the 2017 Self Care Conference comes with a £500 bursary.

Last updated : 18 Oct 2016

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