Background

The my Life Programme was developed on the back of ‘evidence based’ practice in Self Management, using the outcome star to track participants progress. It was successfully delivered as a pilot in the South Tees area.

The client group initially composed of people with neurological conditions but extended to people with any long-term condition.

Emerging evidence is showing that that people who embrace self-management will have less recourse to the services of:

  • Emergency Departments
  • Hospitals Beds
  • GP’s

Supporting Long Term Conditions

The my Life Programme is a modular developmental programme for adults with, or acquiring a disability due to living with long term conditions.

We know that living with a long term condition and / or a disability that means you are living with pain all / most of the time can make a big impact on your life.

This in turn can affect your family and social life, ability to work or be as independent as you would like. This programme does not deal with the medical aspects of your condition (your doctor and others do that).

We focus on the other aspects of your life and how to take some control over parts of your life that are important to you

Improving Quality of Life

We have taken the evidence from research to understand what helps people feel better about their lives and what makes a difference to them. We then linked this to what people told us they wanted to know about, then designed and developed our programme which first ran in 2011-12.

External evaluation showed us that the programme made a real difference for people.

Supporting Social Inclusion

The programme complements current health services and builds key relationships with social and community networks, supporting social inclusion through understanding and rebuilding confidence and self-esteem.

We all have a social network, even if we feel as though we are alone or loners. Our social network may have become more limited by a long-term condition or pain and we may need to rethink or revive our expectations and perceptions of others.

However, ‘who’ and ‘how’ we engage with others makes a big difference to how we feel. We explore your local area and what it, and you, have to offer. We help you think ahead, beyond the programme, to your future life and what it can offer.

Living with a Disability?

The aim is to support people to navigate the interface between health, welfare and community services. To understand the importance and impact of some life choices, including managing and living with a disability. We do not always consider ourselves disabled and yet sometimes we face barriers in our lives that are insurmountable without help.

Knowing the best way to get help when we need it is important and what we can do to help ourselves so that others do not ‘take over’. This can help us feel and take more control at times when we could feel at our most vulnerable.