Silicon Valley Healthy Aging Partnership
Better Choices, Better Health is a chronic disease self management program. BCBH gives people living with a chronic condition the tools to live healthier and more independent lives by taking charge of their health and wellness. Better Choices, Better Health is offered in a workshop environment where older adults give and receive input from instructors and one another.
The workshop was designed by Stanford’s Patient Education Center, with the goal of helping individuals take day-to-day responsibility for their care with a focus on diet, exercise, managing medication, and managing symptoms. The workshop also increases the skills necessary for individuals to manage their disease and work effectively with their health care professionals.
If you are looking for additional information on how to live a healthy life while managing chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, asthma, depression, obesity or high cholesterol you can learn even more about chronic disease self management programs at HealthTrust.org.
"Around 90 percent of the care a person needs to manage a chronic disease must come directly from the patient" – California HealthCare Foundation
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Class Structure: Better Choices, Better Health workshop is a offered 1 time per week for 6 weeks. Each session lasts 2.5 hours.
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Sessions include interactive activities, group discussion, brainstorming, problem-solving and action-planning. Through this workshop, participants will learn problem-solving and decision-making skills which enable them to confront the ever-changing challenges of living with a chronic illness. The course is facilitated by two trained peer-leaders, one or both of whom have a chronic condition themselves.
Each participant who attends at least 4 sessions will receive a free book, “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions”, as well as a “Time for Healing” CD.
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Class Size: Variable
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This chronic disease management workshop is available free at various senior centers, senior housing facilities and community centers.
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To learn more about bringing a Better Choices, Better Health class to your organization, please visit our
Better Choices, Better Health training page.
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