“Get Better Together”, a new program to support people living with chronic health conditions, will soon be available across South Eastern Manitoba.
South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est will offer the program in Vita, Lorette, Niverville, Steinbach, Sprague and St.Malo. The program will also be offered in French in the community of La Broquerie. The groups will begin in early May and run through to the middle of June.
Get Better Together was developed as a self-management program for people with any ongoing condition such as; diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, anxiety, osteoporosis, chronic back pain, asthma, depression and cancer. Frequently participants are coping with more than one condition and are just sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Workshops will discuss solutions for frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation, effective communication with health professionals and appropriate exercise and nutrition. Get Better Together consists of 2 hour workshops delivered once a week, for six weeks, in community settings. The process is led by volunteer peer leaders who are themselves coping with chronic conditions. Get Better Together is not a substitute for treatment; it is about supporting self-management so participants can improve their own lives.
“The disease isn’t going to go away from attending the sessions, but maybe participants will start to eat better and increase their activity level to reduce fatigue, or maybe they will learn to handle stress and control pain to increase their level of ability,” explained Caitlin Keyzer, provincial coordinator for Get Better Together.
“We are excited to host the Get Better Together workshops in our region because we know there are many people with chronic conditions visiting their doctors and going to hospitals that could also learn from their peers about how to take control of their health,” said Vanessa Friesen, Health Promotion Coordinator.
South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est is one of the regional health authorities in Manitoba participating in delivering the Get Better Together program in conjunction with the Wellness Institute and the Province of Manitoba. Get Better Together is Manitoba’s version of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program developed and evaluated at Stanford University.
For more information about Get Better Together, contact Vanessa Friesen, Health Promotion Coordinator at South Eastman Health/Santé Sud-Est at (204) 346-7195.
