The CommonHealth of Kentucky
A 13-part KET production aimed at improving the health of all Kentuckians by sharing health and wellness projects from across the state that are succeeding in making their communities healthier.
Be Well Kentucky
a project of KET’s Be Well Kentucky initiative
The CommonHealth of Kentucky is a 2005 KET production. Produced in partnership with the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Living Well Workshops: Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
University of Louisville Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine, 501 E. Broadway, Suite 270, Louisville, KY 40202, (502) 852-1804
Featured in: Program 10
Program 12
Program 13
Living with a chronic illness such as asthma or diabetes can lead to isolation and lack of confidence in managing the condition. That’s where the Living Well Workshops in Louisville come in, offering a place to bond with others and set goals for success.
Free of charge, the workshops are held in community settings such as malls, churches, or the YMCA. They are open to anyone living with a chronic condition.
Led by two peer leaders, one or both of whom have a chronic disease, participants begin by sharing fears and common obstacles to success. Although their health conditions are different, their experiences have much in common.
Then, over the course of six weeks, the group learns tips for coping, big and small. Topics include exercise for improving strength, communicating effectively with health professionals, and appropriate use of medications. At each session, each participant also makes an “action plan” for the coming week. One client who at first struggled to move at all eventually met his goal of walking to the YMCA.
The Living Well program is especially helpful for people living with more than one chronic health condition, as it gives them the confidence and teaches them the skills to manage their health and maintain active and fulfilling lives.