Module 5 Long Term Conditions Self Care Training

On completion of this module learners will: Understand the labels of ‘long term conditions’ Have knowledge of the personal journeys different people take when diagnosed with a long term condition Describe the range of symptoms people may experience and how they can limit their ability to self care Use their skills to uncover individuals’ symptoms 5.1 Module 5 outcomes

The World Health Organisation defines ‘long term conditions’ as: ‘Health problems that need ongoing management over a number of years’ 5.2 Defining long term conditions

 There are 17 million people with long term conditions in the UK and the numbers are rising  The proportion of over 65’s living with a long term condition has risen from 48% in 1972 to 62% in 2007  Over 80% of GP consultations relate to longer term conditions  60% of bed delays in hospitals are a result of care of long term conditions (Source: Department of Health 2008) 5.3 The numbers

 Being diagnosed with a long term condition (LTC) means being given a LABEL “I’m sorry to have to tell you Mrs. Smith but we have diagnosed you with arthritis” (LABEL) 5.4 Being diagnosed with a long term condition

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Asthma Coronary Heart Disease Diabetes HIV/Aids Spinal Cord Injury Sickle Cell Disease Stroke Obesity Epilepsy Cancer Parkinson’s Skin Disease Dementia/Alzheimer’s Depression Schizophrenia Bi-Polar 5.5 ArthritisMultiple Sclerosis The labels of long term conditions

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Stroke Depression 5.6 Arthritis Group discussion

 Labels: Help the person make sense of what it is they have been diagnosed with  Labels: Mean health professionals can plan for the future  Labels: Allow risk to be considered  Labels: Mean the right treatments can be sought 5.7 ‘Labels’ bring benefits

5.8 For many people, being diagnosed and given a label of a long term condition means hearing there will be things they can no longer do Long term conditions will bring challenges that the person will have to face -  Day to day activities they may be limited in  Equipments they may come to rely on  Using support services to remain in their own homes  Life-long medication they must take  Physical changes to their bodies  Periods of emotional distress ‘Labels’ bring challenges

DenialAngerBargainingDepressionAcceptance 5.9 Grief Cycle-Elizabeth Kubler- Ross The grief cycle

Individuals will deal with the label of their long term condition in very different ways:  The person may deny that they have an illness for a long time, becoming quickly depressed as they notice their abilities to do things change and their long term condition begins to take more control over their lives.  The person may get very angry at the thought of having to live with a long term condition, and begin to bargain with their illness, not taking care of their illness or being able to self care for it  The person may become depressed as soon as they are diagnosed with a long term condition and never have the support to accept it People without support may become stuck in any one stage and never accept their long term condition! 5.10 It’s a personal journey

1.What do you think are the symptoms individual people may experience with their long term conditions? 2.Do you think individuals with the same long term conditions will experience the same symptoms? 5.11 Group discussion

Fatigue Isolation Depression Anger Pain Anxiety Stress Memory loss Lack of motivation Incontinence Loss of appetite Lack of confidence 5.12 The common symptoms of long term conditions

For many individuals it will be easier to talk about the ‘labels’ they have been given and less easy for them to talk about the symptoms they suffer from day-to-day. You are more likely to hear them say: 5.13 “I suffer from Arthritis” (the label) “I suffer from Arthritis which means I have pain, little sleep and I am becoming frustrated and depressed with the changes in my body and my life” (the symptoms) Uncovering symptoms

You will:  Need to understand the journeys individual people take when diagnosed with a long term condition  Focus more on how a person ‘feels’ as a result of their long term condition  Focus on gathering information about the individual person’s symptoms  Approach support work with a ‘detective’s eye’ – look out for opportunities for self care 5.14 Within your new type of worker role

Self Care Training Manual: Implementing the Common Core principles for Self Care © Skills for Care, Albion Court, 5 Albion Place, Leeds LS1 6JL. All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced for non-commercial distribution in aid of social care workforce development, provided the copyright notices and acknowledgements are included in each reproduction. Requests for commercial publishing rights should be directed to Skills for Care. Referencing: Short reference: Skills for Care, 2009 Long reference: Skills for Care, Self Care Training Manual: Implementing the Common Core Principles for Self Care (Skills for Care, Leeds, 2009) Acknowledgements: This material was commissioned from jdee Training and Lancashire County Council by Skills for Care’s New Types of Worker programme in the north west. It was researched and compiled by Shaun Douglas Galley and Sarah Johnson.