The following information and advice covers the areas of prevention, self-care and resources to help maintain or improve your overall health and wellbeing.
A healthy lifestyle can help reduce our risk of developing several ailments.
Additional help with social care and health providers across the county can be found on the Lincolnshire County Council Website.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health, and can help you feel your best. This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions, and consuming the right amount of food and drink to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
Eating well can be a challenge, especially if shopping or preparing food is made difficult by a condition, disability or illness. Drinking enough fluid is also essential to maintain health, although the types of drinks you choose affect your health in different ways.
Help is available for shopping and delivery of food, see our Help at Home section. You can also look in the Provider Directory Equipment is available to help you prepare food more easily, from electronic can openers to easy-grip utensils. You can find a list of equipment on the Equipment page.
If equipment cannot help you then there are providers who will deliver meals to your door to heat in a microwave or oven.
Preparing meals and food delivery - Help at Home section
NHS have advice on staying hydrated
Further links to Information and Advice
Healthy eating, exercise, sleep, and other healthy lifestyle habits can help maintain or improve your health and go some way to prevent many conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, respiratory problems and possibly reduce your risk of developing dementia.
Advice about healthy eating, exercise, cutting down alcohol consumption, stopping smoking, getting better sleep and more can be found on the One You campaign and also through NHS Live Well.
A healthy lifestyle, taking part in social activities as well as avoiding drugs and alcohol can improve or maintain good mental health. Help is available to improve how you feel mentally and emotionally from the NHS and other organisations.
Stress, anxiety, and depression are common mental health conditions. Tips, advice, and guides are available in Moodzone
Mental health issues can also be caused by other factors including disease, physical conditions, life events, trauma, or experiences. Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust offer information and advice and a number of services to people who feel they may need additional help and support with their mental health.
Further information can be found on the Mental Health page and information and advice is available from the following charitable organisations:
A searchable list of activities can be found on the Activities and Events Page.
Evidence suggests there are 5 steps you can take to help improve your mental health and wellbeing. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life Five ways to wellbeing
CAN DEMENTIA BE PREVENTED?
There's no certain way to prevent all types of dementia, as researchers are still investigating how the condition develops. However, there's good evidence that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce your risk of developing dementia when you're older. A healthy lifestyle can also help prevent cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart attacks, which are themselves risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia (the 2 most common types of dementia).
EIGHT LIFESTYLE CHANGES YOU CAN MAKE TO BEAT DEMENTIA
Be physically active - Regular moderate physical exercise is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia, raise your cardiovascular health and improve your mental wellbeing. 'Regular' means exercising five times each week for 30 minutes each time. You can build up to this gradually. 'Moderate' exercise means doing an activity that leaves you a bit out of breath, raises your heart rate and may make you slightly sweaty. Exercising like this brings many health benefits even if you're not losing weight. Activities could include brisk walking, cycling, swimming or dancing. You could join a walking group, try a class at your leisure centre, or go dancing with friends. Try cycling to work, walking the children to school, getting off the bus two stops earlier and walking or taking the stairs instead of the lift.
Stop smoking – If you do smoke, stop. It is better to stop smoking sooner (or better still, to never start) but it is never too late to quit. Even if you stop smoking in later life it will benefit your overall health and may reduce your risk of dementia. NHS Stop Smoking advisers can provide information, advice and support on how to quit. You might be able to refer yourself or talk to your GP or local pharmacy for advice. Many people now use e-cigarettes, which provide nicotine without the harmful tobacco smoke, to help them quit smoking. For more information about quitting call the NHS Go Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044.
Eat healthily– A healthy balanced diet includes lots of fruit and vegetables. Aim for five portions a day. Fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables all count. A healthy diet also has fish at least twice a week, including oily fish (e.g., mackerel, salmon, sardines) which contains healthy polyunsaturated (omega 3) fatty acids and vitamin D. Adding starchy foods (e.g. potatoes, brown rice, pasta, bread) and protein (e.g. meat, fish, eggs, beans) will also help you maintain a balanced diet. Following a 'Mediterranean' kind of diet is good for your cardiovascular health and may reduce your dementia risk. This diet is high in vegetables, fruit and cereals. Fats are mainly unsaturated (e.g., olive oil) with very little saturated fat (e.g., cakes, biscuits, butter, most cheeses). A Mediterranean diet also has some fish, poultry, eggs and dairy, but only a small amount of red or processed meat. To eat healthily, limit sugary treats such as fizzy drinks and sweets and keep an eye on your salt intake, especially salt hidden in bread, pizza and ready meals. Read the labels on foods to see what they contain or look for healthier (reduced fat or salt) options. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you are thinking of taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.
Maintain a healthy weight– Keeping to a healthy weight will reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease – and hence probably of dementia. As well as weight, keep an eye on your waistline, as fat round your middle is particularly unhealthy. A good starting point is to follow the advice on physical exercise and maintain a healthy diet. Keep a diary of your food intake and exercise for each day – you are more likely to lose weight if you burn off what you eat. Visit the NHS Live Well pages for ideas, such as eating smaller portions at mealtimes. Alcohol contains hidden calories, so be aware of how much you drink. You could also consider joining a local weight loss group. If you've tried to make changes without success, your GP can also offer advice
Drink alcohol within recommended levels (if at all)– If you do drink, keep below the recommended NHS levels. These changed in 2016 and are now a maximum of 14 units each week for men and women, spread over three or more days. This is the same as four or five large glasses of wine over the week, or seven pints of beer or lager with lower alcohol content. To check how much you're drinking, record your units over the week – and be honest. If you want to cut down, set yourself a limit for each time you drink (and keep to it). You can also try smaller glasses, drinks with lower alcohol content, drinking with food, or alternating soft and alcoholic drinks. If you really find it a struggle to cut down, talk to your GP about what support is available.
Keep mentally active– If you can keep your mind stimulated you are likely to reduce your risk of dementia. Regular mental activity throughout a person's lifetime seems to increase the brain's ability. This helps build up a 'cognitive reserve' and allows the brain to cope better with disease. (This link between brain activity and dementia is sometimes described as 'Use it or lose it'.) Keeping mentally active could help to delay the symptoms of dementia by several years. It could even mean that you never get it. You could try learning a new language, doing puzzles (e.g., word searches, crosswords, Sudoku), playing cards, reading challenging books or writing letters. Find something enjoyable which stimulates your mind, do it regularly and keep doing it. There is not yet enough evidence to add computer 'brain training' games to this list, in spite of claims made by some manufacturers. Benefits from brain training are so far modest. They might make you better at a specific task, as practised within the game, but broader benefits for your mind or daily life are so far largely unproven. None has been shown to reduce the risk of developing dementia, although there is lots of research and new studies reporting all the time. Reducing your dementia risk means living a healthy lifestyle and keeping physically, mentally and socially active.
Be social– There is emerging evidence that keeping socially engaged and having a supportive social network may reduce your dementia risk. It will also make you less prone to depression and more resilient. Try to visit family and friends, look after grandchildren, travel or volunteer. You may like to try joining a social/activity club or a group at a place of worship.
Take control of your health – Managing your health can reduce your dementia risk. If you are invited for an NHS Health Check (in England), make sure you go. At this free mid-life 'MOT', a health professional will talk to you and measure your cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., blood pressure, weight, cholesterol). If necessary, you can then agree a plan to reduce your own risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia. If you are already living with a long-term condition (e.g. diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure) it's important to keep this under control. Follow professional advice about taking medicines – even if you feel well – and on lifestyle, such as diet and exercise. Source: www.alzheimers.org.uk
Support available!
This Check-in will help you explore your brain healthy behaviours and give you simple tips on how you can give your brain some love https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/brain-health/check-in/.
NHS - Support information including risk factors/prevention https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/dementia-prevention/.
Dementia UK - Support information only, some prevention info https://www.dementiauk.org/?.
One You Lincolnshire (ILS) Integrated Lifestyle Service Home | One You Lincolnshire.
Connect to Support Lincolnshire Connect to Support Lincolnshire | Lincolnshire.
What is dementia? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HobxLbPhrMc.
Lincolnshire Community Health Service NHS Trust Podiatry Service provides a wide range of information, in the form of leaflets, to support people look after their feet. This includes for example, in relation to diabetes footcare, nail care, corn and callus, preventing falls. The leaflets are available from the NHS Podiatry Service webpage.
Different seasons bring different challenges to staying safe and healthy in adverse temperatures.
Keeping cool in summer is really important to prevent dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. If you are over 75, have a long term or serious health condition, have a mobility problem or are taking medication which affects your body’s temperature control, you are more vulnerable.
Staying warm in winter is really important in order to prevent colds, flus, and more serious health conditions. If you are over 65, have a long term health condition, or are disabled you are much more vulnerable to cold-related illnesses.
Visit the Good Home Lincs Maintaining a safe and warm home environment | Connect to Support Lincolnshire for further details and contacts for maintaining a safe and warm environment at home.
All types of weather can affect you and those around you. Make sure you're prepared by checking the MetOffice WeatherReady tips and advice on travel, your home, and health and wellbeing.
For information and advice about doorstep safety, fire safety avoiding scams, preventing falls and accidents see the Staying safe at home section.
Taking part in leisure and social activities is important for your mental and emotional health. There are lots of events available around Lincolnshire. For a searchable list of activities and events visit the Activities and Events area.
Libraries
Lincolnshire libraries are offering free access to their new e-books service. You can browse via their Overdrive or via the Libby App. All you need is your library card number and pin.
