Health and Wellbeing June Newsletter

Horsham District Council sent this bulletin at 08-06-2020 09:10 AM BST

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Health and Wellbeing

June 2020

Welcome to your June health and wellbeing update. It's a busy month with lots of awareness campaigns taking place including Men's Health Week, Carers Week and Diabetes Awareness Week.

Although it's not quite business as usual we are still here to support you to achieve your health and wellbeing goals. We are offering telephone appointments or a video call if you would prefer, so get in touch to see how we can help you improve your health and wellbeing.

Contact Us

WOW: Now available online or over the phone

We are pleased to announce that our Weight Off Workshops (WOW) are now available over the phone and via video call, so you can opt for either one-to-one telephone support or be part of a small group via video.

Over 12 weeks our free workshops focus on weight loss, physical and emotional wellbeing along with advice and tips for sustainable lifestyle improvements.

Find out more

Skincare in the sun

Now that it is officially summer, and with the weather we've had for the past few weeks, it will be tempting to spend hours in the sunshine. However, it is still very important to look after our skin and not overexpose ourselves to damaging UVA and UVB.

It’s quite easy to be safe when outside. The simplest and most important thing to do is put on sun screen. Make sure you put on a hat, or cover your skin. It’s easy things like this that save your skin from harmful and painful damage caused by the sun when over-exposed.

Staying safe in the Sun

Carers Week

There are 6.5 million people in the UK who are carers with many more taking on caring responsibilities as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

It's important that carers are recognised for the difficulties they are experiencing, respected for all they are doing, and provided with information, support and understanding. That’s why we are asking you to support Carers Week by helping to ‘Make Caring Visible’ and raise the profile of caring within your community, place of work and in the media. Raising awareness also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much needed support.

Get involved

If you are a carer and in need of information, advice and support, contact Carers Support West Sussex.

Carers Support West Sussex

If you are a carer and would like advice on how you can improve your health and wellbeing we can offer telephone appointments at a time convenient to you. Get in touch to see how we can support you.

Contact Us

Men's Health Week

10-16 June

The theme for Men's Health Week 2020 is'Take Action on Covid-19'. The aim is to

take action to avoid spreading the virus
take action to get the best out of lockdown and the 'new normal'
take action to beat 'underlying conditions'

It's a time to bring awareness to health issues that affect men unequally, focusing on getting men to become aware of their problems and encouraging them to do something about it.

Research shows that men are less likely to lead a healthy lifestyle. They are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol to hazardous levels and be overweight or obese. These lifestyles can lead into serious diseases such as cancer, heart diseases and strokes, the risk of which can be reduced by leading a healthy lifestyle.

At this challenging time, helping others to recognise the value of a healthy lifestyle can bring many benefits to those closest to us. The Men’s Health Forum are keen to promote these important messages by raising awareness during Men’s Health Awareness Week.

To find out more about the campaign or sign up visit:

Men's health forum

Sussex Health and Care partnership have developed a prevention campaign which is specifically aiming to reduce the rate of suicide amongst men across Sussex. If you're worried about yourself or someone you know, you can find support here:

Preventing suicide in Sussex

Counselling support

As the Covid-19 crisis continues, people are facing emotions and difficulties ranging from anxiety, loss, anger, and low mood, to increased tensions in relationships and trouble coping day to day.

Relate North & South West Sussex have a team of experienced counsellors standing by to support people through this crisis. They offer:

Free* one-off counselling sessions over the phone to listen to your concerns, and support you to explore ways to cope during this crisis.
Ongoing counselling via Zoom or over the phone is also available.

To discuss your options contact Relate

Find out more

*contact Relate to talk about available subsidies or free support to those who have been adversely affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

App of the month

One You Drink Free Days

Drink Free Days is for people who like a drink but want some support in tracking and cutting down on the booze.

Health guidelines recommend we all take at least 3 days off drinking a week, so simply pledge and nominate a specific number of drink free days each week and get practical, daily support to help you stick to it and be more successful in reaching your goals.

Download the FREE app now to:

• Save money and lose weight

• Break bad habits and take healthier options

• Help take more control your calorie intake

• Cut down the booze and feel happier, healthier and in control

One You app

The 8th-14th June is Diabetes Awareness week, raising awareness of diabetes and raising funds to support vital work.

Over the last few decades, in the U.K. and across the world, there has been a large increase in the number of people living with Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that there are several things we can do to help lower our risk of developing diabetes and other lifestyle related conditions too.

Knowing your risk score is one of the best places to start to find out if you are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes UK website has a risk score calculator here:

Risk score

The Wellbeing Team offer FREE support if you think you might be at risk of developing diabetes, with the option of either a free 1-1 session or a group course. The support provided will help you to work out what small changes could make a difference to your overall health and help lower your risk of developing diabetes.

Prediabetes sessions

Thank you!

The Wellbeing Team are continuing to provide free one-to-one advice, guidance and support over the phone and via email and we love getting your feedback. From losing weight to stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption or improving mental wellbeing, here are some of the positive comments we've had over the last few months...