LGOWIT (Let’s Get On With It Together) is a project managed by a partnership of public, private and third sector (voluntary) organisations and is hosted by the Highland Third Sector Interface. LGOWIT has been active for ten years, promoting and supporting the vision of Self Management of health for those living with long-term conditions.
In broad terms, self management encourages and supports individuals to take greater responsibility for their own health and wellbeing and seek to live life to its full potential. It is about forging an equal partnership between the individual, health and other professionals and the community around them, to the mutual benefit of all.
What we do:
This is how we have engaged with and supported people with long term health conditions in Highland in the past:
- We have 23 Living Better support groups across Highland
- Each group has its own identity which depends very much on the interests and preferences of those who attend.
- These groups are open to anyone, of any age, with any long term condition and offer the opportunity for individuals to come together, socialise and support each other.
- Groups engage in a variety of activities such as crafts, talks, alternative therapies, trips out and much, much more
The training programmes are led by our 22 trained volunteers, who themselves have long term conditions. We find that this facilitates greater understanding and cohesion within the training workshops
- The courses offer everyone the opportunity to gain an insight into how their conditions affect their lives and how to take a solution based approach to manage these conditions more effectively
- The free 5 week programme covers topics such as communication, activity and exercise, understanding pain and other symptoms and managing change, in a way that equips those attending with the tools and techniques required to live their life to its full potential
- Our courses are written by people with long term conditions and co-produced with Versus Arthritis
- We have recently through the Scottish Governments Well Being fund, developed 10 modules of eLearning providing an invaluable online resource to those unable to attend the face to face training.
Self Management Forums
- Our quarterly forums bring together peopled with lived experience of long term conditions, partner organisations, health practitioners and anyone with an interest in promoting self management in Highland
- Each forum has a different topic and guest speakers
Self Management Toolkit and Wellbeing Plan
- A simple guide to self management containing easy to understand information and tools to help you self manage
- Co-produced with NHS Highland and written by and for people with long term conditions
We have 5 community networkers across Highland
- They provide self management education and awareness sessions and support our generic peer support groups (Living Better Groups)
eLearning Modules and development
- Development of online ToolKit
- Development of 10 online Self Management modules
- Bespoke development offering to clients and partners with a rapid turnaround
The LGOWIT project has been funded by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (The Alliance), and partners with NHS Highland, University of the Highlands and Islands, Versus Arthritis, Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, Highland Council, Connected Carers, and is hosted by the Highland Third Sector Interface.
The funding from The Alliance allows LGOWIT to provide services throughout Highland. LGOWIT are looking for further opportunities to provide our services particularly our online resources outside of the geographical area of Highland alone.
Demonstrations of our online resources can be provided by contacting Sodi Kakouris; lgowitel@highlandtsi.org.uk
