Self Management

We all naturally self-care every day whether we realise it or not. We make decisions and choices about what we eat, how active we are and whether we follow our doctors advice or take our medications correctly. Through time our decisions can impact on our long-term health, either improving it or making it worse. Unfortunately, some long-term conditions are the direct result of poor decision making and self management. Taking positive steps about how we live and what decisions we make right now is very important to our future health and wellbeing.

In this section we have a range of resources we hope you will find useful. Over time, we hope this will become a practical online library and directory of self help and self management resources for New Zealand.

Let us know if there are others you would like to recommend.



More information More information More information
What is self management and self management support Like to learn more?
Self Mgt Programmes		 Care Plans & Action Plans
More information More information More information
Online tools, quizes &
self help resources 		Support Networks, share
stories & experiences		 Share in decision making
- it’s your health and life!


Key Points:

  1. An increased focus on effective self management is important for everyone, especially those of us with long-term health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, depression and many more.
  2. The key components of a self management approach include:
    • helping you gain the skills, confidence and knowledge to manage more effectively at home
    • learning to recognise when your symptoms are getting worse and act quickly to avoid becoming very ill
    • learning practical steps for managing common symptoms such as pain, fatigue, poor sleep and frustration
    • being more in control and sharing in decisions about your treatment, medications and ongoing care
    • Setting yourself small goals and action plans to help you resolve challenges and problems
    • support to reduce the impact of your condition(s) on other parts of your life such as your family, work, emotional wellbeing and social life.
    • ensuring your care matches your values, priorities and values

 

Self management involves you or the individual with the long-term condition working in mutual agreement with your health professionals so that you can:

  1. Know their condition and various treatment options
  2. Share in decision making
  3. Monitor and manage the symptoms and signs of the condition
  4. Manage the impact of the condition on physical functioning, emotions and interpersonal relationships
  5. Negotiate a plan of care, ie care plan, and review/monitor the plan;
  6. Engage in activities that protect and promote health and adopt a healthy lifestyle


A formal definition of self management is:

People with chronic conditions having greater control in looking after themselves, with the support of their families/whanau (where desired), and in partnership with health professionals and community resources.”  (National Health Committee, 2005)

 

 

 

 

Flinders Human Behaviour and Health Research Unit

In other words, one of the aims of self management is to help you and your whanau/family develop the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to have more control of your health, be able to change what you can and make sure you have the right tools and support to keep as well as possible.