Online workshops available to help manage chronic conditions

By KELLEN TANIGUCHI on April 16, 2021.

ktaniguchi@medicinehatnews.com@@kellentaniguchi

The Alberta Healthy Living Program is offering a free chronic disease management program and other workshops in the South zone via Zoom to help participants manage their chronic conditions.

Some chronic conditions include mental health, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and more – all of which can be discussed during the six-week Chronic Disease Self-Management workshops, which will run Wednesdays from April 21 to May 26. The Zoom meetings are scheduled for 1:15-3:45 p.m.

“With this program, they are learning how to manage their symptoms better, they’re doing goal setting by setting small steps and hopefully discovering tips to manage their day-to-day activities,” said Belinda Hurlbert, co-ordinator in the South zone. “They’re getting support from everybody in the group, as well as the leaders and facilitators. They share their experiences and they find that it’s helping others.”

Hurlbert adds the program leaders have had a chronic condition themselves and speak from experience. She says the program isn’t just for those struggling with chronic diseases but also for caregivers who are not sure how to manage a loved one’s condition.

“The program helps you put the knowledge into action so you can better manage your health and other areas of your life that you enjoy,” she said. “The program provides a supportive environment over the course of six weeks for you to try each of the different techniques and set goals in a way that’s meaningful to your lifestyle.”

Sessions include activities such as brainstorming suggestions for how to get a better sleep at night, and then several ideas come out that some people may not have tried, says Hurlbert. The program also has breakout rooms for those more comfortable talking person-to-person than in the group setting.

Hurlbert says they run programs like this yearly and recently had to switch to the Zoom platform due to COVID-19. She says they’ve actually had higher retention numbers and people have been staying in the program longer since switching to an online learning method.

“It’s probably something to do with the pandemic, too, because we can’t go out to classes, we can’t do these things so people are looking for online learning and online self-management options, and this is a great opportunity for us to provide that to them,” she said.

South zone residents interested in taking part in the chronic disease self-management program can call 403-529-8969 or toll-free at 1-866-795-9709, and register under the name “Better Choices, Better Health.”

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