PEOPLE with long term health conditions are getting a chance to experience a new lease of life thanks to a life-changing course running in Okehampton. The Expert Patient Programme is funded by Devon PCT and is a free six week course. The programme runs one afternoon a week and aims to teach people how they can become better informed and better help themselves to manage their illness. The first meeting took place on Tuesday at the community room at the Glen, next to the old Castle Hospital, in Okehampton. The group meets at 2pm for two and a half hours with a break for tea and coffee. Carmel Fanconi who co-ordinates the course said: ?The whole idea is for people who live with long-term illness to be able to learn some new skills to help them manage their condition and get the best out of their lives.? She said the course was suitable for anyone with a long-term condition such as arthritis, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis. Carmel said two previous courses run at different venues in Okehampton had proved a great success. She added people did not need to attend every week but hoped people would come along and once registered, make it to at least four of the six sessions. Carmel said a further course for carers of people with long-term conditions was also being prepared for Okehampton to begin next spring. Carmel said: ?We want people to remember they are so precious. They spent so much time caring for a loved one, we help them to look after themselves too and achieve a balance in their lives. The Expert Patient Programme began in Mid Devon from a pilot scheme three years ago and has so far helped almost 100 people to better manage their condition. Emerging trends from the nationwide pilot show just how valuable the course is to those who take part. Forty five per cent felt more confident that symptoms would no longer interfere with their lives; 38% felt those symptoms were less, four to six months after the course and 33% felt better prepared for consultations with health professionals. Almost 19 out of every 20 people who took part said they felt supported and satisfied with the course. If you would like to find out more about either the present course, or the carers course to come, please telephone 0800 0730792 to register.
