Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Programs

Diabetes

Housatonic Valley Health District is offering a new program for persons with diabetes or pre-diabetes. The Program is called Live Well With Diabetes and is Connecticut’s version of Stanford University’s evidenced-based Diabetes Self Management Program.

Live Well With Diabetes is an interactive workshop in which trained facilitators teach participants about managing their blood sugar levels, caring for their feet, managing sick days, fighting fatigue, eating healthy, enhancing communication, and building their confidence. Participants will learn skills and coping strategies to manage symptoms and stay more active in their lives. Setting goals and making a step-by-step health plan is an integral part of this program along with sharing experiences and mutual support among group members.

The program, offered at no cost to the participants, consists of six two-and-half-hour sessions. It is open to people who are diagnosed with Type II diabetes or pre-diabetes and their support persons.

The program is offered on a periodic basis. Class size is limited and registration is required. Call the Housatonic Valley Health District at 203-264-9616, extension 2 for more information.

Chronic Disease

Live Well is designed for older adults with ongoing health conditions who want to take charge of their health problems and live active, fulfilling lives. The program is highly interactive, where mutual support and success build confidence in managing the challenges that come with chronic health conditions. Live Well is also beneficial for caregivers, family, and friends of people with ongoing health conditions.

Trained facilitators guide participants, who have a variety of chronic health issues, to find better ways to manage the day-to-day issues they face. This program is not for learning about specific conditions. Rather, the participants, who have different health issues, learn skills to deal with the pain, fatigue, stress, and other challenges that they all share. Live Well is designed to complement the care that people receive from their health care providers. Participants will learn things that their health care providers don’t have time to teach them. This program is evidence-based and has helped people to better manage their symptoms and find healthier ways of living that work for them.

The program, offered at no cost to the participants, consists of six two-and-half-hour sessions. It is open to people who have chronic health conditions.

The program is offered on a periodic basis. Class size is limited and registration is required. 

Blood Pressure Monitoring

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a very prevalent condition that contributes to significant adverse health outcomes, including premature deaths, heart attacks, kidney disease, and stroke. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) found good evidence that blood pressure measurement can identify adults at increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to high blood pressure, and that treatment of high blood pressure in adults substantially decreases the incidence of cardiovascular events.

There is a common misconception that people with high blood pressure will experience symptoms such as headache, nervousness, sweating, difficulty sleeping or facial flushing. The truth is that hypertension does not usually cause symptoms, which is why it is referred to as “the silent killer”. Everyone needs to know his or her blood pressure numbers, and everyone needs to prevent high blood pressure from developing.

Housatonic Valley Health District offers free blood pressure monitoring on a walk-in basis.

The Public Health Nurse is a professional Registered Nurse. She will monitor blood pressure and provide health counseling and guidance as needed, regarding blood pressure and other health issues.