Living with a chronic disease can be a challenging and frustrating experience. It can mean being unable to participate in certain activities and it can include debilitating pain, fatigue and depression. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic diseases are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems.
Being overweight or obese puts individuals at risk for developing many chronic diseases, especially heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. According to HealthyMendocino.org, almost 59% of Mendocino County’s adults are overweight or obese; 6.7% have type 2 diabetes; and 33.8% have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Chronic diseases account for the four leading causes of death in Mendocino County, with cancer and heart disease causing more than half of all deaths. (Mendocino County Health Status Report 2011).
To help individuals better manage their chronic conditions and live a fuller life, Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency’s Public Health, Prevention and Planning Unit (PAPU) is offering free Chronic Disease Self-Management workshops. Developed at Stanford University, these workshops are designed to provide self-help tools for individuals who either have chronic conditions or are caregivers for someone with a chronic condition. The workshop focuses on common challenges associated with chronic illnesses such as fatigue; communicating with friends, family and providers; dealing with anger and depression; and maintaining an appropriate exercise program. In addition, participants learn decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Up until now, these workshops were only available in English in Mendocino County. However, PAPU is now recruiting and training individuals who are fluent in Spanish to become leaders to facilitate the Spanish version of these self-help workshops, called Tomando Control de su Salud. Not only will the workshop be taught in Spanish, but it is also designed to be culturally appropriate. This training of trainers is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 3rd and 4,th and June 10th and 11th at the Public Health building at 1120 S. Dora in Ukiah.
According to Dr. Constance Caldwell, Mendocino County’s Public Health Officer, “Nearly a fourth of Mendocino County residents identify as Hispanic and this population is disproportionately affected by obesity and diabetes. According to the California HealthCare Foundation report on Chronic Disease in California, Hispanic males and females are at the greatest risk for developing diabetes in their lifetime. Public Health is very excited to provide this training and increase our ability to provide these culturally appropriate workshops.”
Both the English and Spanish versions of the Chronic Disease Self-Management workshop are designed to be taught in a community setting such as a senior center, church, library, clinic or hospital. Each workshop consists of six weekly sessions that are 2.5 hours long. Each peer support workshop is facilitated by two trained leaders. The sessions are fun and interactive.
People who have participated in these programs reported significant improvements to their quality of life, greater ease when exercising, better communication with physicians and family members and overall improvements in general health. They also spent fewer days at doctors’ offices and in hospitals. For more information about the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program or Tomando Control de su Salud, contact Waldi Helma, 472-2611.
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Colleen Schenck is a Program Administrator for Mendocino County’s Health and Human Services Agency’s Public Health, Prevention and Planning Unit. In addition to coordinating the Healthier Living Self-Management Programs, she works in the SNAP-Ed program providing nutrition education and working with high school students to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. She also works with schools to promote walking and biking to and from school through the Safe Routes to Schools project. The focus of all of these activities is reducing risk factors for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, with an emphasis on youth advocacy.
Author:
Colleen Schenck
Resource Date:
June 1, 2016
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