Focus on…
Focus on Health Promotion
Promoting health amongst people living with HIV or Hepatitis C is much broader than managing physical symptoms.
Here at Waverley Care we believe that good health includes physical, emotional and social factors. Being socially isolated has a negative impact on emotional health and, in turn, on physical health.
To counteract social isolation, our two Health Promotion Workers, Maro and Gaby, offer activities which bring people together for a specific purpose, for example to participate in workshops, to go for a walk or to tend to our allotment.
Our weekly yoga classes offer the opportunity for people to strengthen muscles, whilst enjoying mental relaxation. This has the added benefit of reducing stress which, in turn, helps to boost the immune system.
The walking group provides an opportunity to discover new places, develop friendships and grow in fitness. The programme incorporates both gentle walks and more ambitious rambles.
Workshops are also offered on a regular basis and recent topics have included stress management and healthy eating. The opportunity to cook and eat a lunch with others on the healthy eating workshop provided a good social opportunity, with the added benefit of learning about immune-boosting foods.
As a result of the Health Promotion Project, people with HIV or Hepatitis C are better equipped with the knowledge and information to look after themselves and to maximise their physical and emotional health.
She was referred to our Health Promotion Project by her hospital three years ago and, with encouragement from staff, she gradually began to participate in the Isis women’s group and to go on occasional walks with the Walking Group.
Looking back, it is hard to envisage the nervous, anxious woman who first came along to these groups.
The support of staff and the workshops she has attended have given her the knowledge and confidence
to help her live positively with HIV.
Sarah knows that she has a good support network through the friends she has made here and that she can look towards the future with optimism.
