Give the bird a carrot

As many countries try to control healthcare costs we will see more support for self-management, especially in patients with chronic disease. After all, we're living for long term with a problem that won't go away. We get tired of trips to the doctor and I'm sure the doctors get tired of us too. It's also easy to see that the way we manage our own health makes a big difference.

                                  Self Management ...then

Notice that Dr Chase has the answer for inflammatory diseases in addition to everything else.

When I googled "self management" and "chronic disease" the first result I got led me to the Stanford website and the "Better Choices, Better Health" program that they developed between 1996 and 2001. Their course they developed is used in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Netherlands. It is not surprising that they are #1.

                                 Self management...Now

You can take their course on line or in person if it is offered in your area. It takes a day per week for 4 to 6 weeks.  One thing that is stressed in the courses is goal setting. Their aim is to give you a tool kit of skills that you can use to improve your health. 

Some of the apps I found online lately are enough to convert even a dedicated non-user. One project gives older people a virtual friend named Carmen who encourages them with personal feedback as they report their results in becoming more active. Carmen is a star!

Then I found Birds: The Stay Healthy or the Bird Dies version. You need to eat vegetables and exercise to keep your little friend alive. Maybe using apps is a better idea than I thought.

This study makes a good case for physical activity with Rheumatoid Disease if fun games don't tempt you as much as facts. 

My Past post on: Do It Yourself Management of Chronic Disease 

Do It Yourself Management of Chronic Disease

We can't manage our chronic disease by ourselves, unless we quickly graduate from medical school and then become specialists.  That's not too likely with a new diagnosis that has an impact on your health.  

                                                 etsy NostalgicLinks


However, to take a guess, even average people don't see doctors much more than two hours over a year.  And that may be a high estimate.  But even if you spent a whole 24 hours out of your year seeing doctors and other health care professionals, that leaves you with the other 364 days to take care of yourself.

There is one thing I have learned on Twitter.  That is that health literacy is the greatest predictor of health. In this context literacy means Grade 8 or better education.  I would go further and say that with a chronic disease you need to be able to do even more - you need to learn the medical vocabulary of your disease so that the appointments you have with doctors are as effective as possible.  Many of us have likely had the experience of having to wait for the next appointment to decide on a course of action because we needed time to educate ourselves on the choices offered.

                                                                   TheDecisionTree.com

I have used some formal resources to enable me to manage my RA better.  The first thing I did was take a course called The Arthritis Self Management course (ASMP) offered by The Arthritis Society in Canada.  It took 3 hours a week for 4 weeks and I ended up feeling more confident that some things I was doing were right and in some areas I could do better.  The area that needed most improvement for me had to do with setting achievable goals.

                                               

The program that the Arthritis Society offers is based on the Stanford Chronic Disease Self Management Program  I was lucky enough to participate in this program also, as an online course.  Talking to others with problems of their own and finding solutions as part of a group is very helpful.  I found out today that you can take that course free by signing up online for Better Choices,Better Health 

In fact much of the experience in these courses can be recreated on Twitter in terms of support, but not with the discipline and the fixed agenda of these workshops.  They give you a tool kit to help you progress.

At one course I heard the story of elderly lady who had very little mobility.  She built up her stamina by walking around her dining room table and increasing the number of circuits every day. Small steps to success can make a huge difference.