Managing Chronic Disease
Help from Our Supportive Care Services and Community Education Teams at
Atlantic General Hospital
If you or someone you love is living with a chronic disease, it is important
to understand how to manage and successfully cope with this condition.
Education is key. We are committed to providing care and education to
patients with complex health issues and their families to help them effectively
manage their conditions.
What is a chronic disease?
A chronic disease is a long-lasting condition that impacts your life and
hinders your activities. These conditions can be controlled and treated
but sometimes may not be curable. According to the Centers for Disease
Control, chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability
nationwide.
Some examples of chronic conditions include:
- Allergies
- Alzheimer’s
- Asthma
- Breast cancer
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Migraine headaches
- Back pain
- Heart disease
- Obesity
Managing Chronic Diseases
It’s important that you feel empowered to control your illness. Access
to the right tools and resources can help in:
- Learning methods of communication with your family members, friends, and
healthcare providers so you can express your needs and experiences clearly
and get the help you want
- Managing common emotions over the course of an illness, including frustration,
isolation, exhaustion, and stress
- Making nutrition and exercise choices that are right for you and help you
live your best life
- Learning new methods that help you make life easier
- Taking medications appropriately
- Evaluating healthcare and treatment options
Living Well Workshops Provided By Our Hospital
At Atlantic General Hospital, we partner with
MAC (Maintaining Active Citizens) to regularly host Living Well workshops
for individuals suffering from chronic diseases, as well as their caregivers.
These chronic disease self-management programs are modeled after programs
from the Stanford School of Medicine, and they are led by two specially
trained leaders.
To register or to learn more about the benefits of attending a Living Well
workshop, contact Jill Kenney from MAC at
(410) 742-0505.
Chronic Disease Self-Management
Learn the various ways to make sure your disease is controlled and you
are not doing anything to cause further harm to yourself. Learn how to
manage your daily routine and increase your confidence during your treatment.
This workshop also teaches you how to effectively discuss your condition
with family, friends, and healthcare providers.
Chronic Pain Self-Management
Whatever condition you have, you can learn how to live a healthy, productive
life. You can join in on classes with individuals just like you and learn
lessons proven to help improve confidence. Learn exercises to help manage
pain, control your medication use, and techniques to help you relax.
Diabetes Self-Management
A free 6-week workshop with self-management techniques to help you plan
healthier menus and prevent low blood sugar levels. You will learn the
various exercise and fitness routines to help you manage your diabetes.
You can come together with others who have diabetes in a non-threatening
and supportive environment that helps provide you with solutions to your problems.
Living Well: Cancer Thriving and Surviving
This workshop teaches individuals in recovery, those dealing with cancer
treatment, and caregivers the various ways to live and thrive. You’ll
learn how to manage your sleep and fatigue, enhance the mind-body connection,
deal with your various emotions, regain fitness levels during and after
the treatment, manage pain and healthy eating, and improve decision-making.
Pulmonary Clinic
The Pulmonary Clinic provides comprehensive evaluations of lung function
and related conditions, in addition to valuable education about prescribed
treatments – including how to use inhalers and other medication
delivery devices – as well as action plans for self-care. All care
at the Pulmonary Clinic is provided by Registered Respiratory Therapists.
To learn more about Atlantic General Pulmonary Clinic, please call 410.641.9703 or
click here.
Stepping On: Falls Prevention
A workshop designed to help you step outside of your home with confidence.
You can enter a comfortable setting with other individuals your own age,
learning the various fall hazards and the best way to reduce the risk
of falls. You work closely with the various specialists and share which
methods have worked for you.
Living Healthy with Hypertension
A workshop created for people with high blood pressure who want to learn
how to better manage the condition. This is a free, 1-time workshop.
To learn more about any of these workshops, please contact Donna Nordstrom at her
Email Here or call
(410) 629-6820.