Wellbeing

The ExtraCare Well-being Service - looking after the whole you.

The ExtraCare well-being Service is part of the overall holistic approach to healthy living at Lark Hill, and supports residents to maintain - or regain - as much independence as possible and to be proactive in managing their own health.

Lark Hill Village has it's own Well-being centre, run by a qualified Well-being advisor, a qualified registered general nurse who is on hand to offer drop-in sessions for health screening, information and advice on managing a healthy lifestyle.

The Service empowers residents to make informed decisions about health and lifestyle factors via a Wellbeing Assessment, and covers ten key areas including keeping a healthy heart, managing diabetes and asthma, weight reduction, diet, sleep and exercise, and safety in your home.

Besides these key health indicators, assessments also look at lifestyle factors such as diet, smoking, alcohol intake and the amount of exercise people take.

Before ExtraCare introduced the Wellbeing Service, a survey at one ExtraCare scheme revealed that 75% of those living independently had not accessed their GP or NHS screening within the last year, perceiving ill health, discomfort and disability to be a natural consequence of getting older.

At ExtraCare we don't simply assume that old age should automatically be accompanied by problems. As a result of our more positive approach, the Well-being service is now established as a proactive health assessment, information and advice service available to all ExtraCare residents, as well as to prospective residents via ExtraCare's Friends membership scheme.

Residents who have a Wellbeing Assessment on average experience a 9% health improvement across ten key health and lifestyle categories between baseline assessment and follow-up.

Relatively small interventions can have a very dramatic impact. A simple urine test can identify the presence of an infection and antibiotics prescribed by a GP will treat the problem. Advice on fluids, toileting, pelvic floor exercises and, where appropriate, intake of cranberry juice, coupled with referral to Continence Nurses can help prevent subsequent infections.

Raised blood pressures or high blood sugars are a common issue amongst residents and can lead to deterioration in general health and irreversible damage to the kidneys, heart, eyes and other organs. The facility to have blood pressure and blood sugar monitored is a huge benefit to ExtraCare's residents. When identified early, long term damage can be prevented.

These are some of the real-life instances that ExtraCare's Wellbeing Advisers encounter on a daily basis. It is improvements in these areas that, when seen as a whole, make such a huge impact on residents' lives and prove the value of ExtraCare's Wellbeing Service.

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