Self care 4875080 216676926 2008-06-02T18:44:56Z Wikiselfcare 6885475 /* Self care support */ '''Self care''' is personal health maintenance. It is any activity of an individual, family or community, with the intention of improving or restoring health, or treating or preventing disease. Self care includes all health decisions people (as individuals or consumers) make for themselves and their families to get and stay [[physical fitness|physically]] and [[mental health|mentally fit]]. Self care is [[physical exercise|exercising]] to maintain physical fitness and good mental health. It is also [[Healthy diet|eating well]], [[self-medication|self-medicating]], practising [[hygiene|good hygiene]] and avoiding health hazards such as [[smoking]] to prevent ill health. Self care is also taking care of minor ailments, long term conditions, or one’s own health after discharge from secondary and tertiary health care. Individuals do self care, and experts and professionals support self care to enable individuals to do enhanced self care. Self care support has crucial enabling value and considerable scope in developing countries with an already overburdened health care system. But it also has an essential role to play in affluent countries where people are becoming more conscious about their health and want to have a greater role in taking care of themselves. To enable people to do enhanced self care, they can be supported in various ways and by different service providers. == Self care support == Self care support can include: * Self care information on [[Health information|health]], [[Lifestyle|lifestyle]], [[Physical exercise|physical activity]], or [[Nutrition|healthy eating]] * Information prescriptions<ref name=IP>[[http://www.informationprescription.info/ Website of an Information Prescripton Project in the UK]</ref> providing personalised information and instructions to enable an individual to self care and take control of their health * Self care and self monitoring devices and [[Assistive technology|assistive technology]]<ref name=FAST>[http://www.fastuk.org/atforumactivities/involvement.php Website of the Foundation for Assistive Technology]</ref> * Self care skills training programmes and courses for people * Advice from [[Pharmacst|pharmacist]]s, [[Physiotherapy|physiotherapists]] and [[Complementary therapies|complementary therapists]] * Self care [[Support group|support networks]] which can be face to face or [[Virtual community|virtual]], and made up of [[Peer group|peers]] or people who want to provide support to others or receive support from others == Self care approaches == Self care topics include: * [[General fitness training]] * [[Physical exercise]] * [[Nutrition]] * [[Vitamin]]s * [[Hygiene]] * [[Life extension]] * [[Nootropic]]s * [[Stress management]] ==References== {{reflist}} == See also == * [[Longevity]] * [[Self-management]] == External links == * [http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Selfcare/index.htm Self Care in England] * [http://www.pagb.co.uk/pagb/primarysections/selfcare/selfcare.htm Self Care in the UK] * [http://www.expertpatients.nhs.uk/public/default.aspx Expert Patients Programme in England] * [http://www.asmi.com.au/Self-careInAustralia.pdf Self Care in Australia] {{health-stub}} [[Category:Self care| Self care]] [[he:טיפול עצמי]] [[sv:Egenvård]]